PORTLAND, Ore.—Earlier this month, the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission released its third annual report reviewing the state’s recent bias crime and non-criminal bias incident reporting data. Among many concerning findings, the report noted that calls to the Oregon Department of Justice Bias Response Hotline increased by 53% from 2020 to 2021.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and the FBI Portland Field Office commend individuals who have courageously come forward to report hate-related incidents and activity. With these incidents continuing to increase in Oregon and throughout the United States, federal law enforcement leaders in Oregon encourage anyone with information about hate crimes to call Oregon’s Bias Response Hotline, their local law enforcement agency or the FBI directly.
The Justice Department is committed to supporting victims of these crimes.
“Violent acts motivated by hate have no place in our shared community. The FBI is working with our law enforcement and community partners to hold those accountable who are so callously targeting innocent people,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “Even as we are seeing some increased reporting of hate crimes, we know the vast majority of these incidents are still going underreported and we need your help. If you’re the victim of a hate crime or know someone being victimized, please contact law enforcement and the FBI.”
The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”
Combatting hate crimes is a top priority of the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI. These crimes have a devastating impact on families and communities.
If you are concerned about your safety, please call 911 immediately.
If you or someone you know was the victim of or witnessed a hate-related crime or incident, please contact Oregon’s Bias Crime Hotline by calling 1-844-924-BIAS. Trauma-informed operators are available from 9am to 5pm Pacific time, Monday through Friday.
These crimes and incidents can also be reported to the FBI directly by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.