SAN ANTONIO – A bipartisan group of U.S. representatives has proposed a bill that will address hate crime increases by improving reporting and education.
The National Opposition to Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality, or NO HATE Act, was put forth by the Latino-Jewish Congressional Caucus in response to a spike in hate crimes targeting both of the respective demographics.
The most recent FBI report on hate crimes shows an 11.7% rise from last year in the number of violent hate crimes committed.
The number of victims in anti-Latino or Hispanic hate crimes rose over 21% in 2018. Jewish people were the targets of 57.8% of all religious bias crimes in 2018, despite making up less than 2% of the U.S. population.
The bipartisan bill will improve hate crime reporting through law enforcement training, allow for the creation of reporting hotlines, call for the increase in resources to liaise with affected communities and promote public educational forums on hate crimes.
San Antonio's Temple Beth-EL Rabbi Mara Nathan said that while San Antonio has a diverse culture with people from all backgrounds, hate and even violence against Jewish people in the Alamo city exist.
"In San Antonio, on one hand, we feel incredibly welcomed and supported and on the other hand, we know there are instances of antisemitism and even violence," Nathan said.
Nathan said San Antonio is a city with great interfaith relations, mentioning the enormous multi-religion gathering to support the Jewish community after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Yet, even in a city like San Antonio, hate crimes exist.
"Congregations around the country, certainly around the world, there's extra security, needing to think about the physical safety of our congregants. There are all these layers of anxiety and security concerns that we have as a Jewish community," Nathan said.
Similarly, anxiety has emerged within the Hispanic and Latino communities, especially after anti-immigrant rhetoric led to a targeted shooting at an El Paso Walmart.
Graciela Sanchez, executive director of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, said stereotypes of people make victims feel less than human, making violence and injustice easy to carry out.
“You demonize them. You stereotype them, saying they’re lazy, they’re bad, they’re drug dealers, they’re scary,” Sanchez said. “By demonizing, you’re able to make them less human, and when you make someone less human, it’s easy to be violent.”
In 1990, Congress passed the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, which requires the Attorney General to collect data on crimes committed due to the victim’s “race, gender and gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.” For more than two decades, thousands of city, county, college and university, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies have voluntarily submitted hate crimes data to the FBI.
“I find that impossible,” Nathan said. “So it’s really heartening to know that our Congress is trying to come together, not only decry hate crimes, but also to put legislation in place that enables them to do research and really get to the root of what’s going on.”
However, the Latino Jewish Congressional Caucus pointed out a piece of the latest FBI report that showed more than 85 cities in the U.S. with over 100,000 residents reported zero incidents of these hate crimes. Syracuse, New York; Midland, Texas; and Hialeah, Florida, are among the cities on this list. Sanchez said that information could prove to be invaluable.
“The collection of that information, the ability to tell people, ‘Here’s where you need to go -- to the police department or a human rights center.’ There has to be financial support,” Sanchez said.
Through the Department of Justice, the bill will issue grants to empower state and local governments to improve hate crimes reporting.
The grant funds will come from existing allocations and will not create new financial responsibilities for the federal government. In exchange for receiving grants, state and local governments must provide additional information pertaining to hate crimes in their jurisdiction. If they fail to do so, they must repay the grants in full.
Both Nathan and Sanchez agreed that teaching children, and future generations of children, how to treat other humans with respect and dignity can be truly powerful.
The NO HATE Act also amends the penalties for hate crimes to allow courts to require that offenders engage in education about, or service to, the affected communities as a condition of their release from prison.
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