The Leadership Conference Calls for Mandatory Hate Crime Reporting, Public Officials to Denounce Hate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mattie Goldman, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on today’s release of FBI 2022 Hate Crime Data:

“No one should have to live in fear of hate and violence. Today’s release of FBI 2022 Hate Crime Data shows an over 7 percent increase in reported hate crimes, and the highest number of reported hate crimes on record for the second consecutive year. The 2022 data comes at a time when communities are fearful and mourning. Right now, families and communities are mourning loved ones lost to acts of hate. Palestinian American Wadea Al-Fayoume was only 6 years old when he was killed in an anti-Muslim hate crime. The Pittsburgh Jewish community is approaching the five-year remembrance of the deadly antisemitic attack on the Tree of Life Or L’Simcha synagogue. Jacksonville is still mourning the racist murder of loved ones in their community. Each data point represents a story of suffering.

“The continued rise in incidents of hate is a clear call to action for mandatory hate crimes data reporting. Until our leaders enact legislation, federal funds should be conditioned on credible hate crime reporting. We need a full picture of hate and bias in vulnerable communities so we can dismantle the very real threats of hate.

“We must also continue to hold officials accountable to implement community-based solutions that combat the rising incidence of hate. Our public officials bear the responsibility of unequivocally denouncing all acts of hatred and bigotry, particularly those committed against Arab, Jewish, and Muslim communities in this moment. Silence from our leaders inadvertently sanctions the indifference to the suffering endured by our most vulnerable communities.

“As we continue the fight against hate and bias, we must also be willing to acknowledge that hate across communities has been spurred on by white supremacy and the uncontrolled spread of hate speech on social media platforms. The civil rights community has long worked across religious, racial, and cultural communities to challenge the insidiousness of white supremacy, because we know that the fight for civil rights and justice can only be won in coalition. If we do not act now to combat the steady rise in hate, we are bound to repeat the worst of this country’s history.”

The Leadership Conference released a report earlier this year, Cause for Concern 2024: The State of Hate, which detailed a series of reforms to help combat and dismantle the conditions that have created the current state of hate, which we urgently need to prepare for  next year’s general election.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 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.

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