FBI Releases Statewide and National Hate Crime Report for 2020
FBI IN OREGON LAUNCHES STATEWIDE HATE CRIMES AWARENESS CAMPAIGN: FBI RELEASES STATEWIDE AND NATIONAL HATE CRIME REPORT FOR 2020 (PHOTO)
News Release from FBI - Oregon
September 1st, 2021 9:09 AM
Downloadable file: FBI Billboard
Downloadable file: FBI Graphic for hate crimes campaign
Downloadable file: FBI bus benches
Downloadable file: FBI graphic in Spanish
Downloadable file: FBI graphic in Arabic
Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities. Hate crimes are not only an attack on the victim—they are meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community.
We know that, historically, hate crimes are underreported. To help our community recognize the importance of the issue and to encourage people to report incidents to law enforcement, the FBI in Oregon is launching a hate crimes awareness campaign. This campaign starts September 1st.
“Those who traffic in hate target the most vulnerable in our community based on how they look, what they believe, and who they love. The FBI has an important role in investigating these cases, but we know that we need help from our community partners both to encourage victims to come forward and to help identify these criminals,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon.
The FBI has been coordinating efforts with various leaders within diverse communities to identify and engage vulnerable populations through the channels and platforms that are most effective for any given organization. The campaign also includes paid advertising:
Digital billboards (by Lamar and Pacific Outdoor) running in Beaverton, Clackamas, Milwaukie, Salem, Corvallis, and Medford.
Bus benches (Tri-Met) in Portland
Radio ads (Jam’n 107.5 and Z100)
TV ads (Univision/KUNP)
Web ads
Social media ads (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter)
This Oregon effort ties with a national FBI awareness campaign that hopes to drive education efforts and increase reporting: “Protecting Our Communities Together: Report Hate Crimes”.
We are asking people to report potential federal hate crime violations by contacting us at one of the national tipline options: 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
2020 Hate Crime Statistics
This week, the FBI released the 2020 Hate Crime Report as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. In Oregon, 207 of 234 agencies voluntarily submitted data for this current 2020 report.
The UCR program specifically defines a hate crime as a criminal offense motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias or biases against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.
In Oregon, there were 271 single bias incidents reported in 2020, and 170 single bias incidents reported in 2019. In Oregon, there were 360 reported victims in 2020, and 242 reported victims in 2019. (Note: These victim numbers include both single bias and multiple bias incidents.)
Nationally, there were 7,554 single bias incidents reported in 2020, and 7,081 single bias incidents reported in 2019. Nationally, there were 10,528 reported victims in 2020, and 8,812 reported victims in 2019. (Note: These victim numbers represent single bias incidents.)
Key Takeaways from 2020 Hate Crimes Report
The bias motivator in about 70% of Oregon incidents was race/ethnicity/ancestry. Victims perceived as Black were the racial group targeted most frequently.
Religion was the motivator in about 10% of cases. Victims perceived as Jewish were the religious group targeted most frequently.
Sexual orientation was the motivator in about 10% of reported Oregon incidents.
Gender identity was the motivator in about 3% of reported Oregon incidents.
Raw UCR reporting is available on FBI.gov and through the FBI's Crime Data Explorer.
FBI Role in Investigating Hate Crimes
There are a number of federal laws that give FBI the ability to investigate hate crimes. Those laws generally require some kind of criminal act AND a finding that the person committing the act did so because he/she was motivated by bias. The criminal act can include offenses such as murder, assault, arson, and it generally requires the use or threat of force or violence.
For an incident to qualify as a federal hate crime, the subject(s) must have acted wholly or in part based on the victim’s actual or perceived status. This is generally consistent with state law.
Under federal law, bias motivators include:
Race
Ethnicity
National origin
Disability
Religion
Gender
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Anyone who has information about or believes they are a victim of a federal hate crime should contact the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
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(Note: the UCR definition of a hate crime used by local/state/federal agencies to report such crimes to the FBI and the definition under federal law in terms of the FBI’s authority are similar but slightly different.)
Contact Info:
Beth Anne Steele
FBI Public Affairs
Portland Division
media.portland@fbi.gov
CITY OF EUGENE ISSUES 2020 HATE AND BIAS REPORT
News Release from Eugene Police Dept.
Posted on FlashAlert: August 19th, 2021 3:05 PM
Downloadable file
:2020EugeneHateBiasReport
Downloadable file:
For the ninth consecutive year, the City is issuing a report on both criminal and non-criminal hate and bias activity. Mayor Lucy Vinis and other city officials presented at a press conference on Thursday, August 19, at 9:30 a.m. at the Mims Historic House (NAACP Office), 330 High St. with the release of the report. The event was broadcast via Zoom, and can now be accessed on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/589547648
In alignment with the City Council goal of creating a Safe Community, the City is committed to working with community partners to reach the vision of promoting a community where every person, regardless of their identity, is safe, valued, and welcome.
In 2020, there were 93 bias crimes and non-criminal incidents reported to the City through the Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement (HRNI) and Eugene Police Department (EPD), an increase from the 66 incidents reported in 2019. Bias crimes can include all classes of crime motivated by prejudice that is based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, housing status, or disability. Non-criminal incidents are acts of hate which are based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, but by nature do not raise to the level of crime by definition.
The small data set precludes drawing strong conclusions; however the results indicate race and ethnicity continues to be the leading motivating factor for reported hate and bias activity in 2020. African Americans were the group most affected by the crimes of physical violence and intimidation. The Jewish community was the main target of criminal vandalism, which includes graffiti containing hate messages. Black or African American community members were also the primary targets of non- criminal incidents. The distribution of hate and bias incidents did not change from previous years and central neighborhoods continue to be the most impacted areas.
It is probable that the incidents reported in Eugene represent only a small percentage of the actual activity occurring in the city. According to the Department of Justice’s 2017 Crime Victimization Survey1, 54% of hate crimes nationally were not reported to police for various reasons.
“Unfortunately, this current annual report has confirmed an expected increase in the number of bias crimes and incidents in 2020. In 2020 we saw the reversal of a declining trend in hate or bias crimes recorded since the end of 2017. In the wake of the racial justice protests following the killing of George Floyd and other African Americans, we saw the number of bias incidents targeting the African American community increase. This increase in bias activity contrasts with the support many residents of Eugene expressed for more inclusion of African Americans in our community. This illustrates the need for sustained work to promote actions that demonstrate that everyone belongs in our city.”
Fabio Andrade, Manager AIC, Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement.
The City of Eugene has a Hate and Bias Incident Response Plan. The office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement work in partnership with Eugene Police to respond and track incidents and crimes. Victims report through HRNI or Eugene Police. HNRI is responsible for collecting statistical information on both criminal and non-criminal hate and bias incidents and providing victim support and community response to hate and bias activity in Eugene. EPD takes reports, provides alerts to HNRI and City officials, and investigates criminal activity.
To report crimes: if it is an emergency, dial 911; if it is not an emergency, call 541-682-5111. To report non-criminal activity, submit an online report at www.eugene-or.gov/reporthate or call the City Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement at 541-682-5177.
Attached:
City of Eugene Hate and Bias Incident Response Plan 2020 Hate and Bias Annual Report
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1 U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Special Report: Hate Crime Victimization Statistical Tables, 2014 – 2015 June 2017.
Contact Info:
Fabio Andrade, Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement, 541-682-5277
Melinda McLaughlin, EPD Public Information Director, 541-682-5124
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