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.
This year, our state passed omnibus bill SF 2909 (which contains both SF 691 and HF 181), and provided much-needed funding to the MN Department of Human Rights to:
1. Improve bias and discrimination data gathering and reporting
2. Create a Bias Response and Community Equity Outreach Team that would provide culturally specific support to communities after they have experienced an act of hate.
