Why are we seeing spikes in hate crimes? (And what has to happen to make it stop) • LegalScoops

• Incidents of bias in the United States increased 6% in 2020 from the previous year.
• Two in three hate crimes are motivated by race, descent or ethnicity.
• Other motivations include religion, gender, gender identity, disability, and sexual orientation.
• Hate crimes negatively affect an entire community, leaving people feeling vulnerable.
• Bias can be reversed if Americans see themselves as citizens of the world and uphold the values ​​of inclusion and rights of expression.

Hate crimes are an unfortunate human trend in times of turmoil, psychologists say. At any stage, we see hate crimes against certain groups of people. According to NPR, the FBI’s hate crimes report for 2020 lists 7,759 criminal incidents and 10,532 related offenses.

According to agencies that report violations to the agency, 62.9% of victims are targeted because of prejudices of race, ethnicity and ancestry. In addition, the number of people victimized for prejudices of sexual orientation was 20.5%, 13.4% due to religious bigotry.

The highest level for over a decade

In a recent report, BBC News showed that these hate crime figures in 2019 are at the highest level in the country since the 7,783 incidents of bias recorded in 2008. More than any other group, these crimes mainly target blacks or black people. African Americans. , although there was a slight decrease from 1,943 to 1,930 incidents. Against 48.5% targeting blacks, 15.7% of anti-white violence targets Hispanics.

Most recently, President Joe Biden addressed the nation on the country’s vaccine goals. At the same time, he also published a special message on anti-Asian racial acts. Sadly, a 75-year-old Asian American, Pak Ho, died of serious head injuries after being punched in Oakland, California. Although the victim is another victim among a growing number of Asians targeted in what many believe to be hatred sparked by the virus, others again attribute this type of attack to simple racism.

Steps to stop prejudices

Positive action is needed to stop hate crimes against all groups of Americans. According to research conducted by psychologists, people tend to want to protect their own during tough times. For example, in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, American Arabs were suddenly targeted.

The former president recently used terms that have weighed Asian Americans with the brunt of unempathetic behavior through the use of words like “Kung Flu” and “China Virus” to describe COVID-19.

This type of prejudice leads some groups to feel devalued, but according to psychologists, the motivation is not only hatred. Instead, they believe that anger, fear, and ignorance are the most common cause of incidents of prejudice.

The American Psychological Association believes that there are several ways to combat the prevalence of hate crimes. In addition to law enforcement and policy making, researchers, clinicians and educators can help reduce the number of incidents and mitigate the effects on victims.

Some of the policies and programs already in place that can help with prevention or intervention include the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. However, this program needs more support in its implementation.

Lack of funding is another problem that needs to be addressed. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, the Office of Victims of Crime, and the Community Relations Department are both organizations that can benefit from larger budgets to help reduce incidents and support victims.

Hate crime laws in some states are lacking, while in others they need to be strengthened. In addition, legislation often fails to incorporate all types of hate crimes. The APA indicates race, religion, ethnic / national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability.

Communities and law enforcement campaigns are designed to unite people, and everyone should be aware of the values ​​of inclusion.

In his speech in March 2021, the President said it best: “Too often we have turned against each other. Instead of working together, we have seen vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans. It’s wrong. It’s anti-American. And it must stop.

Jacob maslow

Legal Scoops editor-in-chief Jacob Maslow founded several online newspapers, including the Daily Forex Report and the Conservative Free Press.