PORTLAND, Ore. – Early last week, the FBI released its annual statistics on hate crimes in the U.S. The report showed a 67 percent increase in hate crimes committed against Muslim Americans in 2015 as well as increases in hate crimes against members of the Jewish, African American, and LGBT communities. Overall, the number of hate crimes reported nationwide increased six percent – a number that does not account for the many hate crimes that go unreported out of shame or fear.
These figures are deeply concerning to members of our law enforcement community in Oregon. Beyond the 2015 statistics, Oregonians may have seen news reports and social media posts about alleged hate crimes and harassment across the country. These reports have caused many in our community to fear for their own or their loved ones’ safety.
“The United States Attorney’s Office, with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, wants to reassure community members that we are united in our efforts to combat hate crimes in any form and to repudiate the targeting of individuals because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity” said Billy J. Williams, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. “We remain committed to vigorously investigating and prosecuting all hate crimes.”
If you or someone who you know has been a victim of a hate crime, please report this to your local law enforcement authority. If you are concerned about your safety, please call 9-1-1 immediately.
Victims are encouraged to report all hate crimes to their local law enforcement agency and also to the FBI. Links to Oregon police departments and county sheriffs’ offices are listed below:
For crimes committed in Oregon, the FBI Portland Division can be reached at (503) 224-4181. A list of all local FBI offices is available at: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices. Reports to the FBI can also be submitted online from any state via: https://tips.fbi.gov.
Additionally, the Oregon Department of Justice collects reports of hate crimes to ensure these are passed on to the appropriate authority for investigation via the following web form: https://justice.oregon.gov/crimereporting/hatecrime.
If you have questions about your rights or the hate crime reporting process, please contact any of the following law enforcement agencies in the Portland metro area:
- United States Attorney’s Office – District of Oregon: (503) 727-1000
- Oregon Department of Justice: (503) 378-4400
- FBI – Portland Division: (503) 224-4181
- Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office: (503) 823-3333
- Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office: (503) 655-8211
- Washington County Sheriff’s Office: (503) 629-0111
- Portland Police Bureau: (503) 823-0400
- Gresham Police Department: (503) 823-3333