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U.S. Attorney’s Office – Eastern Dist. of Wash.<\/h2>\n
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SPOKANE\u00a0 \u2013 <\/strong>U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced today her office\u2019s increased resource dedication to civil rights, including its participation in a first of its kind, anti-hate crime outreach program entitled United Against Hate, which seeks to directly connect federal, state, and local law enforcement with traditionally marginalized communities in order to build trust and encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents.<\/p>\n \u201cI am honored that our office has been chosen to take the lead nationally in the fight against hate crimes with the United Against Hate outreach initiative,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Waldref.\u00a0 \u201cCombatting hate and hate-driven offenses is vital to our mission of building stronger and safer communities for everyone,\u201d added U.S. Attorney Waldref.\u00a0<\/p>\n In November, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of Washington was chosen as one of three districts, out of 94 districts in the nation, to advance the United Against Hate outreach initiative.\u00a0 United Against Hate is a panel presentation involving subject matter experts from the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, the FBI, and local law enforcement partners, who engage in direct discussions with members of marginalized communities and those most vulnerable to hate crimes and hate incidents.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hate crimes are commonly defined as crimes committed because of the perpetrator\u2019s perception of the victim\u2019s race, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, family status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity.\u00a0 Hate crimes can be prosecuted under Washington state law and can often also be prosecuted under federal laws such as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.<\/p>\n By making direct contact with the communities most vulnerable to hate crimes and hate incidents, law enforcement can provide visibility into reporting systems and highlight the importance of reporting hate crimes and hate incidents. Additionally, the United Against Hate outreach initiative provides an opportunity for communities to share their concerns with law enforcement, in order to decrease barriers that prevent hate crimes and hate incidents from being reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n The outreach also provides opportunities to increase communication and collaboration between the communities that are most frequently targeted for hate crimes and incidents and the law enforcement professionals responsible for investigating and preventing them.\u00a0<\/p>\n The data collected on hate crimes and hate incidents underscore the importance of this outreach initiative.\u00a0 Based on the Department of Justice\u2019s National Crime Victimization Survey, between 2010 and 2019 over 55% of hate crimes nationwide were not reported to law enforcement.\u00a0Applying that non-reporting rate to available FBI Crime Data indicates that in Spokane County alone there is reason to believe that as many as 25 hate crimes went unreported to law enforcement in 2019 and 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile hate cannot be defeated by law enforcement alone, law enforcement has a vital role to play in protecting the public and marginalized groups from hate-motivated offenses and in communicating our shared values and fostering hope that our communities can be safer, stronger, and more inclusive,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Waldref.\u00a0 \u201cHate crimes and hate incidents, including hate speech, do not reflect the values of Eastern Washington and have no place in our communities, our law enforcement, or our criminal justice system.\u00a0 In the coming weeks and months, through United Against Hate and our other outreach efforts, we hope to engage in direct dialogue with marginalized community members and invite them to meet personally with some of the law enforcement professionals, at all levels, who are dedicated to combatting hate in Eastern Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n The United States Attorney\u2019s Office also announced increased civil rights enforcement resources and efforts.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, it is not enough to engage in outreach alone,\u201d stated U.S. Attorney Waldref.\u00a0\u201cWe are increasing our focus on civil rights, including hate crimes, hate incidents, and illegal discrimination, by committing additional Assistant U.S. Attorney and staff resources.\u00a0 We are deploying these increased resources in the area of civil rights –\u00a0 such as vigorously enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Housing Act, as well as veterans and active service members rights, to name just a few,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Waldref.<\/p>\n Finally, the United States Attorney\u2019s Office also announced its new civil rights web page found at\u00a0https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/ \u201cWe cannot bring the full force of the people\u2019s power against hate crimes, hate incidents, and other civil rights violations without individuals being given opportunities to come forward.\u00a0 Our office now has a dedicated civil rights email account (USAWAE.CivilRights@usdoj.gov<\/a>) and phone number ((509) 835-6306), for the public\u2019s use.\u00a0 I want to thank the Gonzaga University Department of Modern Languages and Literature who donated their expertise to this effort and provided Spanish translation services to allow us to reach a wider audience and facilitate access to these accounts for Spanish speakers.\u00a0These accounts are monitored frequently and will allow members of my civil rights team to quickly review and promptly respond to submissions and inquiries.\u00a0 We will utilize the information provided by the public regarding suspected civil rights violations in our overall efforts to track and analyze any larger trends that need to be addressed and to determine on a case-by-case basis whether we can investigate the matter, refer it to other appropriate entities, or otherwise assist,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Waldref.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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