WORKING TO END HATE IN MINNESOTA
No matter who we are or where we come from, we all want to feel safe in our state.
Communities Combating Hate is a coalition advocating for policy change to make Minnesota safe for all Minnesotans, no exceptions.
Every Minnesotan must be protected from hate, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, immigration status, ethnicity, or disability.
Hate is on the rise.
The FBI has reported sustained, steady increases in hate incidents across the US for the last few years.
Yet, in Minnesota, official statistics severely under-count the true number of incidents.
That’s because current statutes give law enforcement agencies — and law enforcement agencies alone — the discretion to track and report hate incidents in their jurisdictions.
This just doesn’t work.
Many victims are afraid to file police reports. Even when they do, many departments do not accurately label those incidents as hate incidents.
This has led to hundreds of hateful incidents going uncounted, victims not receiving support and care, and the causes of hate go unaddressed.
In 2023, Minnesota passed bold reforms to more accurately count and combat hate in our state.
These changes were crucial but we cannot maintain accurate counts if our communities don’t have the resources to document crimes.
The Minnesota House and Senate are considering legislation (SF734/HF1821) that would allocate much needed additional funding to the existing Non-Profit Security Grant program. These non-profit security grants can help cover the cost of cameras and other security essentials.
This funding is deeply needed as mosques, synagogues and cultural centers have faced numerous threats in the last several years. Currently, Minnesota leads the nation in attacks on mosques and other Islamic community spaces, both per capita and in total incidents.
Far too often these incidents cannot be prosecuted or pursued because there is no footage of the perpetrators. With more resources in our communities through programs like the Non-Profit Security grants, we can change this unfortunate trend where a crime is reported but seldom prosecuted.
