Sarah Ford | June 22, 2015
The FBI has no idea how many hate crimes happen in America each year
By J. Richard Cohen
A white man and apartheid admirer walked into a black church Wednesday night and killed nine people. He reportedly said he had “to do it” because black people “rape our women” and are “taking over our country.”
The violent attack against Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., is an obvious hate crime, one that will, presumably, get reported to the FBI.
The vast majority of hate crimes, though, don’t. Our national system of collecting and reporting this data is disturbingly inadequate, overlooking most hate crimes each year. This underreporting is a problem because, lacking an understanding of the scope of the problem, law enforcement agencies and communities are less likely to devote the sustained resources and training needed to prevent and solve hate crimes.
According to the FBI’s most recent annual hate crime report, which is based on voluntary reporting by law enforcement agencies across the country, there were 5,928 hate crimes in 2013. In South Carolina, the FBI report says, there were 51. Those numbers vastly underestimate the problem, according to the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Statistics.
Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Explore More Articles
Emergency Assistance Fund Compliance: How to Stay IRS-Compliant While Maximizing Employee Impact
Why Emergency Assistance Funds Matter More Than Ever Financial insecurity remains a critical challenge for today’s workforce. Approximately 37% of Americans cannot afford an unexpected…
Open Position – Director of Marketing
Position: Director of Marketing Department: Business Development Reporting Structure: VP, Business Development Exemption Status: Exempt Location: Remote Overview of the Role: Reporting to, and partnering with, the VP,…
Celebrating Juneteenth and Continuing to Work in Solidarity for Racial Justice, Equality, and Equity
June 19 — also known as Juneteenth, or the nation’s second Independence Day — commemorates the end of slavery in Texas, and therefore the nation,…
Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.
