Across the country social unrest and political tensions hit a boiling point last year.
What You Need To Know
More than 7,500 hate crimes were reported in 2020
It's voluntary for law enforcement agencies to submit their data to the FBI
81% of agencies nationally submitted data to FBI
“We’ve had community members come to us with hate-related incidents,” North Carolina Asian Americans Together Senior Director of Programs Ricky Leung said.
It’s one reason Leung isn’t surprised by the FBI’s new hate crime statistics.
There were more than 7,500 reports of hate crimes in 2020. That’s the most in 12 years.
A majority of the victims were targeted because of their race. Crimes against Blacks and Asians saw the largest increases.
“The increasing numbers doesn’t necessarily surprise me given the discourse over the past year with COVID and a number of years ago post-9/11 where a lot of our immigrant communities have been scapegoated,” Leung said.
Reported hate crimes in North Carolina actually dropped in 2020 to 185 from 251 a year earlier.
But the numbers do not give a complete picture.
It’s voluntary for law enforcement agencies to submit their data to the FBI.
“There’s a history of some bad and inadequate reporting that really makes this report incomplete,” Southern Poverty Law Center Senior Policy Counsel Michael Lieberman said.
In North Carolina 71% of law enforcement agencies submitted hate crime numbers while the rate nationally is 81%.
“We need to have much better compliance, much better comprehensive reporting. Again, the reporting is voluntary, but it should matter,” Lieberman said.
Lieberman is pushing agencies to do a better job sharing their data. He also wants to make it easier for people to report hate crimes.
He’s not alone. Leung is pushing for passage of the North Carolina Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would improve the tracking and recording of crimes in the state.
“It’s really important to know that it’s happening in order to look at the root causes of what’s happening,” Leung said.
And, ultimately, to reduce crimes of hate.
If you are a victim of or witness a hate crime, you can report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. You may remain anonymous.