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NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF HATE CRIMES INVESTIGATORS AND DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ASSOCIATION
879 West Park Avenue, Cobblestone Village #161 Ocean Township, New Jersey 07712 (732) 460-0804 Fax (732) 460-0804
What is a Hate Crime
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What is a Hate Crime?A Hate Crime is committed when someone uses violence against you or your property, or threatens violence because of who you are, or who people believe you are. It is a violent crime that is directed against an individual, group, or organization, because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, disability or gender. At least 36 states (AL, CA, CO, CT, FL, ID, IL, IA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MT, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI) have some type of penalty enhancement for hate crimes.In order for something to be a Hate Crime, there must be a crime--such as harassment, criminal mischief, assault, homicide, robbery, and something that demonstrates hatred or bias, for example: Involves use of language or symbols, such as anti-gay slurs, racial epithets, or swastikas Involves use of objects or items which indicate bias, such as a burning cross on the victim's lawn occurs while the victim was engaged in activities promoting the rights of the targeted group coincides with a religious or cultural holiday, such as Yom Kippur, Martin Luther King Jr. birthday, Adolph Hitler's birthday or Gay Pride. What is Hate Violence?Hate Violence includes Hate Crimes, as well as other sorts of hateful speech and acts which are not crimes. Calling someone a name, refusing to rent them an apartment, and providing lower-quality service are all forms of Hate Violence. Using slurs and epithets is a way of telling someone that you believe that they are less than human, or do not deserve respect. Where Hate Violence is tolerated or encouraged, Hate Crimes will flourish. At the National Alliance of Hate Crime Investigators and District Attorneys Association headquarters we provide referral services, information, and needed services to anyone in need. We also track statistics on many types of bias/hate crimes. These statistics are useful because they demonstrate the scope of the problem, let us know when, where, and to whom hate violence occurs. With this information, we can try and make you and our community safer. BIAS CRIME: A Bias Crime for law enforcement purposes is defined as any suspected or confirmed offensive or unlawful act that has been directed against a person and or property based in part on that persons or groups race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability, ethnicity, and or color once confirmed and investigated by a specially trained law enforcement officer. BIAS INCIDENT: A Bias Incident is any suspected or confirmed offensive or unlawful act that has been reported to a law enforcement agency. The incident at face value may appear to be directed at a person, group and or property based in part on that person and or groups race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, disability, and or color but has not yet been confirmed or the motive is something other than that definition used to define a bias crime. If you wish to report an incident that happened to you, please contact your local police department. If you wish to share a story or a related incident of hate or bias please feel free to contact us or e-mail us. For More Information Contact: Tel: 732-460-0804
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