September 02, 2021

LAWT News Service

 

This week, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the 2020 FBI Hate Crimes Statistics Report:

“The results of the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics report released this week have affirmed what we have known all along: Despite our progress as a nation, there continues to be consistent, deliberate and intentional attacks on members of the Black community and other communities of color that are rooted in systemic racism and bigotry. The FBI’s report shows that 61.9% of the hate crimes committed were due to racial, ethnic or ancestry bias. This further proves that there are individuals who wrongly believe themselves to be superior who will threaten, harm, and kill minorities knowing they will be backed by a system that does not hold them accountable for their acts of domestic terrorism. 

“As was reflected in this year’s statistics, no group has experienced this injustice more deeply than the Black community. Of the 7,759 hate crimes reported, 2,755 have been committed against African Americans alone. Our Asian-Pacific Islander, Jewish, and LGBTQ brothers and sisters have also experienced a rise in hate crimes. These incidents have also been historically underreported. 

“It is no coincidence that this rise in hate crime comes at a time when our country is grappling with a period of social, economic, political and medical reckoning that will no longer allow us to turn a blind eye to inequity and injustice. Americans of all races are demanding that we realize the promise of America and ensure a more perfect union for all. But this report reminds us that there are fearful, hateful individuals among us who would attempt to stand in the way of that progress. 

“We must demand that the Biden Administration, Congressional leadership and our leaders at the state and local level take all necessary steps to protect vulnerable communities, hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable, and address the root causes and spreaders of hate and bias before it becomes violent.”

 

Category: News