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SPLC Demands Action to Address Surge of Hate Crimes

September 23, 2024

WASHINGTON — Today, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) responded to the release of the FBI 2023 Hate Crime Statistics Act report by, once again, calling for Congress to expand community-based, prevention efforts and make hate crime reporting mandatory by law enforcement agencies across the country. 

The 2023 report documented 11,862 total hate crimes, including significant increases in anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim crimes. Hate crime reporting came from 16,009 participating law enforcement agencies — out of more than 18,800 federal state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies nationwide — reversing a five-year trend of declining police participation. 

“One hate crime is too many in our country,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the SPLC. “While today’s report shows a welcome uptick in the number of law enforcement agencies that are participating in the FBI’s data collection, the picture is still incomplete.” 

“Far too many agencies, including many in the Deep South that serve large populations, do not report credible data, which puts many people — especially Black, Latinx, Asian, Jewish, LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities — at risk,” Huang continued.  

“At a time when bigotry, conspiracy theories and disinformation are being mainstreamed and are influencing individuals to engage in hate crimes, we need an accurate understanding of where bias-motivated crime is most prevalent so that we can create coordinated responses that keep communities safe. And, to truly stamp out hate, those responses must incorporate strategies that prevent those susceptible to being influenced by the fringes of society from moving down the dark path of radicalization,” Huang concluded. 

The SPLC has designated October as Hate Crimes Awareness Month to bring more attention to the prevalence of hate crimes and press for urgent action. This annual effort is prompting national conversation and action to prevent hate and foster an inclusive democracy where each of us feels safe and welcome in our communities.