REPORTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN
CHICAGO ARE RETURNING TO
PREPANDEMIC LEVELS AND IN THE
NORTHWEST DISTRICT INCLUDING
RIVER NORTH CASES REACHED A 20
YEAR HIGH FROM A REPORT IN THE
"CHICAGO SUN-TIMES".
JOINING US US NOW TO DISCUSS THE
FACTORS BEHIND THE INCREASE AND
WAYS TO ADDRESS IT ARE MADELINE
KENNEY A REPORTER AT THE
"CHICAGO SUN-TIMES" AND
MADELEINE BEHR PUBLIC POLICY AND
ADVOCACY MANAGER AT THE CHICAGO
ALLIANCE AGAINST SEXUAL
EXPLOITATION.
WE INVITED THE CHICAGO POLICE
DEPARTMENT BUT NO ONE WAS
AVAILABLE TO JOIN THIS
CONVERSATION.
MADELINE KENNEY AND MADELEINE
BEHR THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
MADELINE KENNEY STARTING WITH
YOU, PLEASE, YOU REPORTED THAT
YOU FOUND SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTS
INCREASED IN 19 OF 22 DISTRICTS
IN CHICAGO COMPARED TO 2020.
AND THAT THE LATEST DATA
AVAILABLE THROUGH DECEMBER 26
SHOWED THERE WERE 2,000 SEXUAL
ASSAULT REPORTS IN 2021 COMPARED
TO 1600 IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD
IN 2020.
MADELINE KENNEY WHAT WAS THE
CAUSE OF THIS?
AND HOW WAS THE END OF MOST
COVID CLOSURES RELATED?
>> WELL, IT'S HARD TO PINPOINT
WHY WE'RE SEEING THIS INCREASE
IN NUMBERS.
IN TALKING WITH ADVOCATES AND
WITH THE CHICAGO POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND OTHER PEOPLE IT
SEEMS LIKE BARS AND RESTAURANTS
REOPENING OR JUST PEOPLE GETTING
OUT AND NOT BEING QUARANTINED AS
YOU SAW IN 2020 COULD BE
ATTRIBUTED TO IT.
IT COULD BE THAT SURVIVORS OF
SEXUAL ASSAULTS ARE FEELING MORE
EMPOWERED TO COME FORWARD AND
REPORT THESE CRIMES.
BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE
STILL SEEING THERE IS A STIGMA
WITH BEING A VICTIM OF THESE
CRIMES AND NOT FEELING
COMFORTABLE OR FEELING LIKE IF
YOU COME FORWARD YOU WILL BE
TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
NOW THERE'S GREAT ADVOCACY WORK
THAT IS SUPPORTING SURVIVORS
COMING FORWARD AND FILING
REPORTS.
>> MADELEINE BEHR WHAT IS YOUR
REACTION TO THE RISE THIS
INCREASE IN REPORTED CASES ARE
YOU SURPRISED AT ALL?
>> NO.
I MEAN IT IS HARD TO LOOK AT
MADELEINE'S REPORT AND NOT BE
DISAPPOINTED IN SEEING THE
NUMBERS RISE.
THE NUMBERS GOING UP IS A
MULTITUDE OF FACTORS.
COVID-19 PANDEMIC CHANGING
THINGS IN GENERAL.
MORE SURVIVORS INTERESTED IN
REPORTING TO HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY
AFTER EXPERIENCING HARM.
I THINK OVERALL IT IS A WHOLE
VARIETY OF FACTORS IT'S
DISAPPOINTING TO SEE THE
NUMBERS.
AND AT THE SAME TIME ACROSS THE
COUNTRY WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE
IN CRIME, CORRELATED WITH AN
INCREASE IN POVERTY AND HARDSHIP
AND CHICAGO IS NOT ALONE IN THAT
TREND THAT WE'RE SEEING ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
>> MADELINE KENNEY WHAT WERE THE
CHALLENGES OF REPORTING IN THIS
PREVALENCE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
CRIMES?
>> DEFINITELY WITH GETTING
ACCURATE DATA AND MAKING SURE
THAT THE NUMBERS ARE MATCHING
UP.
ONE THING THAT MAKES IT
DIFFICULT TO REPORT ON SEXUAL
ASSAULTS IS THAT IF A SURVIVOR
COMES FORWARD LET'S SAY YEARS
AFTER THE REPORT THAT CAN SKEW
SOMETIMES THE DATA THAT YOU ARE
SEEING.
MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE PROPERLY
UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE ASSAULTS
ARE HAPPENING OR GETTING
REPORTED AT AND MAKING SURE WE
ARE DOING OUR BEST JOB MAKING
SURE OUR INFORMATION IS
ACCURATE.
>> MADELEINE BEHR YOU WORKED ON
A REPORT PUBLISHED IN 2020 THAT
REVIEWED C.P.D. DATA FROM
2010-2019 AND 80-90% OF SEXUAL
HARM REPORTS MADE TO C.P.D. DID
NOT RESULT IN AN ARREST.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
AND WHAT IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE
ON WHETHER OTHERS DECIDE TO FILE
REPORTS?
>> YEAH.
I THINK IT IS A WHOLE VARIETY OF
REASONS.
AND REALLY I THINK IT COMES DOWN
TO OUR SOCIETY'S PERPETUATION OF
VICTIM BLAMING.
A LOT OF FOLKS ARE NOT COMING
FORWARD TO LAW ENFORCEMENT IN
THE FIRST PLACE.
OF THE 80-90% WHO DID REPORT TO
C.P.D. THAT IS A SMALL FRACTION
OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
EXPERIENCING SEXUAL HARM ONLY A
CERTAIN KIND OF MINORITY OF
FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE GOING TO
LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
BUT I THINK OFTENTIMES THESE
PERCEPTIONS WHAT RAPE IS AND
WHAT SEX YAM HARM IS IMPACTS ALL
OF US AND IMPACTS LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND THEIR TREATMENT
OF SURVIVORS THEIR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE SURVIVORS' EXPERIENCES
AND WILLINGNESS TO SIT DOWN AND
LISTEN TO A STORY AND NOT
DISMISS IT OUT OF HAND AND
DECIDE WHETHER TO FORWARD THAT
CASE ON TO PROSECUTORS.
>> MADELINE KENNEY YOUR
REPORTING YOU POINTED OUT THAT
COURT PROCEEDINGS OFTEN WHEN
THEY DO HAPPEN THEY CAN BE LONG
AND DRAWN OUT.
WHAT IMPACT DOES THIS HAVE ON
SURVIVORS?
>> IT IS A TRAUMATIC EVENT THAT
YOU GO THROUGH.
AND IF YOU DO END UP GOING
THROUGH COURT SOMETIME IT IS CAN
TAKE TWO TO THREE YEARS TO REACH
A CONVICTION OR FINISH AND THAT
IS IN PART BECAUSE OF THE DNA
ANALYSIS THAT GOES INTO THESE
CASES.
IT CAN CAUSE A STRAIN ON ANY
KIND OF SURVIVOR THAT GOES
THROUGH IT.
THE STATE'S ATTORNEY OFFICE DOES
PROVIDE SOME SUPPORT TO THE
PEOPLE AND GREAT ADVOCACY WORK
AMONG ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE
CHICAGOLAND AREA THAT PROVIDE
SUPPORT THROUGH THERAPY OR
COUNSELING THAT HELPS SURVIVORS
WHO DO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS.
IT IS A DIFFICULT THING TO HAVE
TO GO THROUGH.
>> MADELEINE BEHR WHAT CAN BE
DONE THEN TO ADDRESS THE
PREVALENCE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
CRIMES IN CHICAGO?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN THE NUMBERS THAT
MADELEINE REPORTED ON IN RIVER
NORTH AND OTHER AREAS IN CHICAGO
IT IS ALARMING.
I THINK IT'S CRITICAL TO
REMEMBER THAT THE NUMBERS ARE
NOT NECESSARILY THE WHOLE STORY.
IF WE ARE ONLY FOCUSING ON LAW
ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE TO SEXUAL
HARM WE ARE MISSING THE VAST
MAJORITY OF SURVIVORS THAT WILL
NEVER GO TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.
WE NEED A CRISIS LEVEL
TRAUMA-INFORMED RESPONSE TO
SURVIVORS WHO DO GO TO LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND BE INVESTING IN
COMMUNITY SERVICES LIKE RAPE
CRISIS CENTERS, PREVENTION
INITIATIVES AND A HOST OF OTHER
NECESSARY THINGS THAT SURVIVORS
NEED.
IF WE ARE ONLY FOCUSING ON LAW
ENFORCEMENT, HOWEVER WE'RE
MISSING THE VAST MAJORITY OF
SURVIVORS IF WE'RE ONLY FOCUSING
ON THE LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE.
IT NEED TO BE QUALITY BUT WE
NEED ALTERNATIVE THINGS FOR
SURVIVORS.
>> SPEAKING OF ALTERNATIVES AND
PREVENTION, MADELINE KENNEY YOU
REPORTED ON WHAT VENUES,
RESTAURANTS, BARS WHAT THEY CAN
BE DOING TO PREVENT SEXUAL
ASSAULTS.
TELL US ABOUT THAT BEFORE WE LET
YOU GO?
>> I CO-REPORTED THE STORY WITH
ELVIA MALAGON AND IT LOOKS AT
WHETHER OR NOT BAR OWNERS AND
RESTAURANT OWNERS DO THEY HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO
HOW TO PROTECT THEIR PATRONS
WHETHER IT'S MAKING SURE THEY
ARE TRAINED IN RECOGNIZING THE
RED FLAGS OR NOT OVERSERVING
CUSTOMERS WHO ARE DRINKING.
AS REPORTED IN OUR STORY, A LOT
OF THESE CASES DO HAVE ALCOHOL
OR DRUGS INVOLVED WHICH IS NOT
AN EXCUSE.
BUT JUST IT IS A VARIABLE THAT
NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT.
LOOKING AT THE RESPONSIBILITY
WHETHER OR NOT ENTERTAINMENT
DISTRICT HAS ANY KINDS OF
RESPONSIBILITYING IN HANDLING
THIS.
ONE SURVIVOR SAID SHE BELIEVES
THEY SHOULD HAVE LOOK OUT FOR
THE PEOPLE THAT COME TO THEIR
ESTABLISHMENTS.
>> ENOUGH RESPONSIBILITY TO GO