3 days ago
Two people attacked for attempting to stop vandal in Pilsen push for hate crime charges
Chicago police are looking for a woman who ran off after getting into a fight with another woman who caught her vandalizing a mural in Pilsen Friday night.
The mural was supposed to resemble peace and love. However, the victim said she was attacked for speaking up against hate.
A video posted to Instagram by Natalie Figueroa showed a woman she said vandalized the unique mural.
"Then I looked at the words, and she wrote 'Israel' all over it. So, I knew it was about hatefulness," she said.
Figueroa said that when she tried to stop the woman, she was attacked and left with two black eyes.
"My body's aching. I have physical scars. My head is messed up. She destroyed my glasses, which is how I can see," she said.
Chicago police said the two women argued by the mural in the 1600 block of West 16th Street on Friday. They confirm it turned physical when the suspect hit Figueroa in the face. The attacker ran off.
"We call on the police department, along with CAIR, to make sure that this is addressed as a act of hate," attorney Farah Chalisa said.
Chalisa represents Figueroa and said hate crime legislation and statutes exist for a reason.
"Evidence that has in fact been presented to the police department, that this act of violence, both acts of violence, were in fact motivated by a hatred towards the Palestinian national origin," she said.
Laith, who doesn't want to give their last name, said they, too, were attacked by the same woman on May 9. The suspect was defacing the mural, and they also tried to stop it.
"I pull out my phone to film her, and at that point, she knocks my phone out of my hand. She starts punching me. She grabs my clothes," they said.
The mural depicts a Palestinian man and a Mexican man resting together in a field. It was finished on May 1 by a Palestinian man who traveled to Chicago to create it. The mural was organized through a local group, The Mural Movement, founded by Delilah Martinez.
"It's mentally disturbing to know that there's a person that's out here in our community harassing people, attacking people, and vandalizing murals," Martinez said.
When asked if the woman had been arrested and if any charges had been filed, police said the investigation remains open.
