Hate Crimes Rise Shows Need for Better Data, Policies and Rhetoric

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president & CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the release of the 2018 FBI hate crimes report:

“These numbers are disappointing, but not surprising. The Trump administration’s divisive rhetoric and discriminatory policies fuel the flames of bigotry and acts of hatred throughout our country. The FBI’s hate crimes report is merely the thermometer – telling us that the temperature of hate and intolerance in America is spiking to sweltering levels. Sadly, we can trace the source of this heat directly back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Hate has no place anywhere in our country. Most alarming, this report captures only a fraction of the problem. The federal government must improve their hate crime data collection to accurately represent this country’s epidemic of hate.

The civil rights community denounces these acts of hate and bigotry and calls on our elected and appointed officials to meet a higher standard with those who denounce acts of hate and bigotry in this country.”

The FBI report on hate crimes can be found here. The Leadership Conference sent the Department of Justice a list of recommendations in 2017 to strengthen governmental response to hate. The Leadership Conference Education Fund also runs Communities Against Hate, a coalition committed to documenting hate and providing legal resources and social services to those affected. If you or someone you know has experienced hate, record it at communitiesagainsthate.org, or call 844-9-NO-HATE.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.