Hate Crime
Any criminal act or attempted act directed against:
- A person(s) motivated by bias (1) due to that person's (actual or perceived) race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender (including transgender) or disability (including mental) or (2) due to that person's association with any of the aforementioned protected groups; or
- A public agency or private institution apparently is motivated due to the fact that the agency or institution is identified or associated with a person(s) with an identifiable protected characteristic (i.e., race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or disability).
Hate Incident
Any non-criminal act, including words, directed at a person(s) motivated by bias against a person or group based on that person's race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Hate incidents include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Distribution of hate materials in public places
- Posting of hate materials without causing property damage, and the display of offensive materials on one's own property
- The utterance of epithets
Why You Should Report a Hate Crime
- When you report a hate crime, you become part of the movement to stop it.
- Every report builds up a picture of what is really going on in your local area, showing patterns of behavior against a certain group or by particular individuals.
- By reporting them when they happen to you, you may be able to prevent these incidents from happening to someone else.
- The more we know, the better we can educate, inform and protect everyone in the community.
Safety Tips
- Learn neighborhood danger zones and avoid them: dark parking lots, alleys, walkways along with tall shrubs, walls, and fences.
- While walking at night do not listen to music with headphones on. If you absolutely must, have the volume low or use only one earbud to ensure that you can hear street sounds and be aware of what is going on around you.
- Walk with confidence and make eye contact with those you pass by. Be extra mindful of your surroundings, especially the pedestrians and cars nearby.
- Use public transportation. Such as Uber, a bus, or a taxi cab.
- Use tracking features on your smartphone to help others track your routes of travel. Share these details with family or friends.
- Move away from unsafe situations. Call 911 if you feel threatened.
- Avoid walking alone at night.
- Know before you go: if you go home with someone you don't know, first introduce them to friends, bartenders, or others you know.
- Exchange names and phone numbers.
- Remember drinking and partying affects your judgment: Play Safe!
