PRESS STATEMENT: CAIR-Chicago Welcomes Hate Crime Charges in Downtown Chicago Attacks
- For Immediate Release and Distribution -
(CHICAGO, IL, 3/11/26) — The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed hate crime and aggravated battery charges filed against a man accused of attacking multiple women in downtown Chicago.
Prosecutors have charged Edwin J. Barron, 36, with hate crime and aggravated battery after allegedly assaulting several women in a series of attacks occurring on the evening of March 5 in the Loop. According to reports, one victim, a 24-year-old Black woman, said Barron struck her on the arm and repeatedly used a racial slur against her. Another victim, 21, told police her hair was pulled, and a third woman, 24, reported being struck in the head.
CAIR-Chicago said the allegations highlight the dangerous intersection of racism, gender-based violence, and bias-motivated attacks—underscoring the need to protect women’s safety in public spaces.
In a statement, CAIR-Chicago said:
“Violence targeting women and fueled by racial hatred must be rejected unequivocally,” said Hafsa Haider, Communications Director of CAIR-Chicago. “We welcome these hate crime charges and commend prosecutors for pursuing accountability.”
CAIR-Chicago continues to urge anyone who experiences or witnesses a hate incident to report it to local authorities and to CAIR-Chicago at www.cairchicago.org/report-discrimination.
CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Director of CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com