AXIOS Chicago: DOJ opens hate crimes investigation after Muslim boy stabbed to death

Written by: Monica Eng

Meanwhile, Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago's executive director, said at a Sunday news conference with members of Wadea's family that he was "a lovely boy" who loved his family, friends, soccer and basketball, and who "paid the price for the atmosphere of hate and othering.

Let's be clear," Illinois State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid said at the news conference, "This was directly connected to the dehumanizing of Palestinians that has been allowed over the last week by our media, by our elected officials who have lacked the moral compass and lacked the courage to call for something as simple as de-escalation and peace."

The big picture: Police across the U.S. have been on alert for an uptick in hate crimes and threats against Jews and Muslims over the last week, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.