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"Preventing Hate and Keeping You Up to Date"
September 2023
The Hate Crimes Training and Technical Assistance Program Newsletter Preventing Hate and Keeping You Up to Date is a monthly summary of research, articles, site highlights, and more. This publication is provided for program awardees' and project partners' information and awareness. Please contact info@hatecrimestta.org to submit a success story or resource for consideration in the newsletter.
General News
Jacksonville Shooting Is the Latest Incident of Fatal Violence Driven by Racist Hatred
The killing of three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, is the latest incident of racially motivated gun violence in what federal officials describe as one of the most lethal forms of domestic terrorism.
Michigan Department of Civil Rights Launches PSA to Combat Hate, Bias
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) debuted a one-minute public service announcement to raise awareness about hate crimes, bias incidents, and available resources. The MDCR hosts monthly “Response to Hate” forums to combat and respond to hate crimes and incidents and has partnered with the Michigan Civil Rights Commission on an annual conference to advocate on key issues for civil rights.
California Announces New Efforts to Fight Hate & Discrimination
The State of California recently announced additional resources, funding, and guidance to enhance its ongoing efforts to fight hate in California communities, including awarding over $91 million to local organizations across the state to support victims of hate crime, provide resources, and facilitate anti-hate prevention measures.
Local Chefs Bring Awareness to Anti-Asian Hate at Food Event in Silver Spring
Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate used the Sunset Soiree event in Silver Spring, Maryland, to raise awareness about hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The idea behind the initiative is that food brings people together and helps them to learn and respect cultural differences. Proceeds from the August 9, 2023, event benefited the organization and a local Montgomery County community health center.
Site Highlights
Multnomah County Names Bias Crimes Prosecutor
The Multnomah County, Oregon, District Attorney’s Office appointed a bias crime prosecutor to lead prosecution of hate crimes cases, conduct community outreach, connect with culturally specific groups and community partners to identify barriers to reporting and pursuing cases, coordinate with law enforcement on investigations and referrals, and work with the Oregon Department of Justice on bias crime reporting. The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program is providing funding to support the bias crimes prosecutor position.
New Jersey’s Office of the Attorney General, Division on Civil Rights (DCR) and Department of Education (DOE) released a comprehensive guidance document on preventing discrimination in school discipline. The guidance provides New Jersey schools with important information to ensure student codes of conduct and discipline policies do not discriminate, either intentionally or unintentionally, on the basis of a protected characteristic. The guidance is part of a series of resources and initiatives that DCR, DOE, and other partner agencies have recently released including the Addressing Bias Incidents on Campus resource guide and the Addressing Bias in K-12 Schools resource guide.
Special Interest
Mount Dora Aims to Protect Hate Crime Victims Through New ‘Safe Place’ Program
The City of Mount Dora, Florida, and the Mount Dora Police Department (MDPD) have adopted the Safe Place Initiative. The mission of the Safe Place Initiative is to provide the community with easily accessible safety information and safe places throughout the city they can turn to if they are the victims of anti-LGBTQ+ or other hate crimes. Through the initiative, the MDPD will provide participating city buildings, local businesses, and other organizations with a decal to post that identifies those sites as safe havens for victims of a hate crime.
The Riverfront Brawl in Alabama Reignites National Debate Over Race
A Montgomery, Alabama, riverfront brawl did not meet the federal criteria of a hate crime, but it is igniting concern over race-based attacks across the country.
A South Carolina man and woman pled guilty to a federal hate crime, conspiracy, and other offenses for targeting people whom they identified as Hispanic or Mexican at gas stations and grocery stores and robbing them at gunpoint.
Coming Soon!
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This project was supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-21-GK-02977-HATE awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).
Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
