What is a hate crime?
“In the simplest terms, a hate crime must include both ‘hate’ and a ‘crime,'” the DOJ reports on its website.
It’s a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.
This week, the FBI Anchorage Field Office launched a hate crime reporting campaign as part of the effort to combat these crimes. Alaskans will see digital, print, and radio advertisements across the state, and bus advertisements in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau.
The Alaska effort ties with a national FBI awareness campaign that hopes to drive education efforts and increase reporting: “Protecting Our Communities Together: Report Hate Crimes.”
“All Alaskans should be able to thrive in our communities without fear that their skin color, what they believe, or who they love, makes them a target for violence,” said Antony Jung, special agent in charge of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI hopes this campaign will encourage victims and witnesses to come forward, which will strengthen our ability to solve hate crimes, bring criminals to justice, and provide support to victims.”
Hate crimes are among the highest priorities at the FBI because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities, the agency said. “Hate crimes are not only an attack on the victim—they are meant to threaten and intimidate an entire community.”
Anyone who has information about or believes they are a victim of a federal hate crime should contact the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
In April, the FBI raided the home of a Homer couple and accused them of stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop. The agency and other law enforcement agencies held the couple at gunpoint and in handcuffs for hours. Last week, two people in New York were arrested in connection with that laptop theft, which occurred on Jan. 6, when protestors poured into the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of the Electoral College.
