Calls reporting incidents of hate and bias in Oregon increased significantly in 2021

Calls reporting incidents of hate and bias in Oregon increased significantly in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's third annual statewide Justice Bias Response Hotline report. And federal officials believe those numbers still don't fully depict what is actually happening.

There were 1,683 reports of bias and hate made to the hotline in 2021, a 53% increase compared to 2020 (1,101 reports). Of those 1,683 reports, 59% were classified as bias incidents and 28% as bias crimes.

Oregon's Legislature updated the state's hate and bias crimes laws in 2019. The updated legislation required the establishment of a victim service hotline housed within the state Department of Justice. The statewide Bias Response Hotline launched in January 2020.

A victim or witness of a bias incident or a hate crime can call the hotline to report an incident. From there, they are able to connect with trained staff, apply for emergency financial assistance, or receive a referral to community services or law enforcement.

Who was targeted in 2021?

According to the report, most of the reports made to the hotline involved race-based targeting.

Black and Asian individuals were the most common victims of reported bis incidents, the report said. Black and African-American individuals were the victims in 25% of reported bias incidents and 34% of hate crimes. Asian individuals were the victims in 12% of reported bias incidents and 12% of hate crimes.

Incidents targeting Asian people increased by almost 200% in 2021 and reports of anti-Asian bias crimes increased by 300%.

While the most common race of reported victims was white (41%), only two white victims were allegedly targeted because of their race. Instead, white victims reported being targeted based on sexual orientation (56%), gender identity (28%) and religion (also 28%).

Incidents targeting gender identity increased by 190%, religion (primarily anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim conduct) increased by 175%, disability targeting increased by 220%, and sexual orientation targeting increased by 148%. The report adds that a majority of victims reported were male in 2020 and 2021 (54%) but one in four victims declined to provide their gender in both years, 22% and 25%.

Reports to the hotline spiked in January 2021 after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in March and early April following the murders of six Asian women in Atlanta, in August with the return to school, and again in December, according to the report.

The highest number of reports came from Multnomah County in 2021 with 489 reports. Clackamas County was second with 247 reports and Marion County was third with 148 reports, a 114% increase in the region.

Few actually convicted of crimes

Statewide data from the national Law Enforcement Data System showed that there were 117 arrests made in 2021 with a charge of Bias Crime in the First Degree or Bias Cime in the Second Degree. It was a 50% increase from 2020, according to the report.

There were 130 cases that included a charge filed of Bias Crime in the First Degree or Bias Crime in the Second Degree. Of those, 20 resulted in a conviction for a bias crime, 11 resulted in all charges dismissed and 14 resulted in a conviction for another charge.

'Extensive underreporting'

Despite the increase in reporting, the Department of Justice believes there is still "extensive underreporting" when comparing the hotline reports to other surveys and estimates.

"However, it is important for the state to collect and analyze quantitative data to understand an issue. This report will provide the quantitative data required for an initial assessment," the report said. "Despite these quantitative data, we cannot lose sight of the qualitative information that individuals share on the hotline and to law enforcement, which speaks to the human lives targeted and the impact of hate and bias."

There is also a notable gap comparing official data to hotline data, the report notes.

Very few counties had zero reports of a bias incident or crime but Oregon’s National Incident-Based Reporting System within the Oregon State Police shows large numbers of counties with no activity. Additional outreach and data collection are necessary, which could include outreach campaigns by the Department of Justice and law enforcement, consultation with tribes, and social media expansion, the report concludes.

“I am very pleased we have been able to step up our civil rights outreach over these past two years including adding hotline advocates and expanding the reach, accessibility and language availability of our Hate and Bias Hotline,” Attorney General Rosenblum said in a release about the report. “While these numbers seem so discouraging, they also remind us of the importance of continuing our work supporting victims and survivors of hate and bias.”

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Reports of incidents of hate and bias spike in Oregon