Recently, the California Department of Justice held a press conference to discuss the findings of the recent 2023 hate crime report that was released by Attorney General Banta’s office.
The Attorney General and the DOJ care team are committed to combating hate crimes and ensuring public safety. Hate Crimes are often underreported and as such, the recent hate crime report might not include the full scope of issues facing our community today.
The press conference included presentations from Deputy Director Maheen Ahmed, State Manager Benjamin Naté, Special Projects Manager Anthony Amens, as well as local outreach Managers.
The DOJ compiles hate crime data from law enforcement reports and has created this statewide webinar to provide a comprehensive presentation.
Allison Dunero (Program Manager for DOJ Statistics Center) kicked off the webinar and reviewed what a hate crime is, how it is reported, what law enforcement and DOJ responsibilities are, what hate crimes are most commonly reported and what the 2023 statistics look like and mean for the community.
Special Assistant Attorney General Damon Brown and Michael Redding then shared information about the role of the DOJ when it comes to hate crimes. They explained that the Racial Justice Bureau are tasked with the civil enforcement around hate crimes. Some of the efforts they’ve engaged in include combating hate organizations within the state to insure all Caifornians are safe and protected from ideologies that promote hate. They also focus on explicit bias in law enforcement to be sure all those sworn to protect and serve are doing so. Lastly, their office serves as a resource to law enforcement and also helps campus enforcement policies on college campus to ensure safe and diverse environments for students. Micheal Redding went on to discuss that the DOJ investigates and prosecutes these crimes at the local level in the state. There are distinctions between a hate crime and a hate incident. Something could still be an incident that should not happen but to be classified as a hate crime it must meet a specific penal code violation and there is a high standard for this- typically the crimes are a criminal threat.
“While the DOJ’s role is to engage in data collection, report it out (via the Hate Crimes report) at the same time, it’s a key priority for Attorney General Bonta who is focused on connecting with the community and understanding the experience people are having throughout the state. This happens through roundtables with the community and meetings with local law enforcement,” shared Michael Redding,
Hate Crimes Coordinator Britton Lacey discussed her role as being the point person for DOJ colleagues and external partners in regard to the prosecution of hate crimes. “Outside of the DOJ, I communicates with prosecutors, law enforcement and community organizations throughout the state fostering relationships between them and offering DOJ assistance as much as possible.”
Becky Monroe, Deputy Director, and Chantel Bermudas, Senior Manager, from the California Civil Rights department shared resources on how to get support if you are involved in a hate crime. They discussed “The California Versus Hate Program” and what resources are available to the public, as well as the different ways to report a hate crime including via their website. The information the the California Civil Rights department receives comes directly from people targeted by hate and organizations who represent those people, and not directly from law enforcement like the DOJ. They do not enforce criminal civil rights protections but do enforce civil discrimination for things like employment, housing and other civil matters.
You can view the full 2023 DOJ Hate Crimes Report data here.
