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Hate Crimes
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What Is a Hate Crime?
A hate crime is a crime that is committed against a person because of prejudice or bias. Victims of hate crimes are singled out simply because of their perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibility, physical handicap, matriculation, or political affiliation.
Examples of hate crimes include:
- Physical attack
- Destruction of property
- Cross burnings
- Arson
- Vandalism
- Telephone harassment
- Painting swastikas and other hate symbols
- Use of racial slurs
- Cemetery desecration
- Verbal abuse
- Firebombing of residences, businesses, and churches
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Hate Crimes Are Against the Law
In 1989, the District of Columbia enacted a law to address the problem of hate crimes committed in DC. The law, entitled "The Bias-Related Crime Act of 1989" (DC Code §§ 22-4001 to 22-4004), provides for increased penalties whenever a crime is motivated by bias or hate.
The law also mandates that police in the District of Columbia
collect data on bias-related acts and that the Office of the
Mayor of the District of Columbia publish an annual report
regarding the number and type of bias-related acts reported
in the District.
Federal law (The Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990) also requires the Metropolitan Police Department to report data on hate crimes to federal authorities annually.
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Why Hate Crimes Must Be Stopped
Unlike other crimes that target individuals, bias-related
acts have a tremendous effect on an entire community. When
one person is targeted because of his or her race, religion,
ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or other characteristic,
others in the community who were not the direct targets of
the hate crime may also feel at risk. Tensions between different
communities can also arise as a result of a hate crime.
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Why Hate Crimes Should Be Reported
A person who commits a hate crime cannot be brought to justice and held accountable for his or her acts if the crime is not reported. In addition, collecting accurate data on the number of hate crimes is one of the only ways in which police, prosecutors, elected officials, and community organizations can determine the extent of the problem of hate crimes in the District of Columbia.
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How Do I Report Hate Crimes?
If you have been the victim of a hate crime, know of, or have
witnessed a hate crime, you can report this in several ways.
- Call or visit your local Metropolitan Police Department
district
station.
- Call the Hate Crimes Hotline at (202) 727-0500, which
has been established by the Metropolitan Police Department
to assist victims of hate crimes. Callers can report incidents
without having to give their names, addresses, or other
personal information.
- Mail a written statement with the complaint that contains
information to support a claim that the designated act constitutes
a bias-related crime. Statements should be mailed to:
Hate Crimes
Coordinator
Intelligence Cection
Metropolitan Police Department
300 Indiana Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20001
- Report hate crimes to the community organizations listed
below.
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About the DC Bias Crimes Task Force
The DC Bias Crimes Task Force was founded in 1996 to increase
community awareness of the problem of hate crimes. The goal
of the Task Force is to provide assistance to the victims
of hate crimes, bring those responsible for bias-related crimes
to justice, and strengthen the partnership between law enforcement,
prosecutors, and community groups in preventing and responding
to hate crimes.
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Assistance for Victims of Hate Crimes
Victims of hate crimes can suffer serious and long-lasting
traumatic stress that can seriously alter their lives. The
Metropolitan Police Department wants to assist by putting
you in touch with services in the District of Columbia that
are available to help. Listed below are the names and telephone
numbers of organizations that offer counseling, referrels,
and other asistance
| Organization |
Website |
Phone |
| Anti-Defamation
League of B'Nai B'Rith |
www.adl.org |
(202) 452-8310 |
| Asian Pacific
American Bar Association (NAPABA) |
www.napaba.org |
(202) 347-5634 |
| Crime
Victim Compensation Program |
CVCP |
(202)
879-4216 |
| DC
Office on Latino Affirs (8 am - 5 pm) |
ola.dc.gov |
(202)
671-2825 |
| MPDC Asian
Liaison Unit |
ALU |
(202) 535-2653 |
| MPDC Gay and
Lesbian Liaison Unit |
GLLU |
(202) 727-5427 |
| MPDC Hate
Crimes Hotline |
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(202) 727-0500 |
| National Center
for Victims of Crime |
www.ncvc.org |
(800) 394-2255 |
| National
Organization for Victim Assistance |
www.try-nova.org |
(800)
879-6682 |
| Organization
of Chinese Americans, National Office |
www.ocanatl.org |
(202)
223-5500 |
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