Hate crimes rise in the US

Signal of change / Hate crimes rise in the US

By Jordan McKay / 18 Jan 2019

According to the FBI and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), hate crimes in the US have increased for the third consecutive year.  In addition to reporting the rise in the number of hate crimes, the FBI noted that “...hate crimes remain vastly underreported.” Currently identified by the SPLC at 954, the number of hate groups in the US has also increased, rising 20% since 2014.



So what?

While the underlying causes of the crimes remain unknown, rising hate crimes and groups could indicate waning civic trust.  History has shown us time and again that protectionist economics, "us and them" culture, and xenophobia correlate with rising nationalism and fear-based identity politics. What other factors are present here? In what ways could the troubling rise in US hate crime have to do with global economic and political shifts, and the environmental crisis?

And most importantly, what can individuals, organizations and authorities do to protect vulnerable parties and build civit trust?






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