WHCHC [White House Conference on Hate Crimes] - DOJ [Department of Justice] [2]
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OCR Page 1 of 65Community Relations Service
U.S. Department of Justice
Hate Crime: The Violence of Intolerance
Rose M. Ochi, Director, Community Relations Service
Assistant Attorney General
The Community Relations Service (CRS), a unique agency
groups in the community cannot or will not accept and pro-
of the U.S. Department of Justice, is the Federal Govern-
tect them. When perpetrators of hate are not prosecuted as
ment's "peacemaker" for community-wide conflicts and
criminals and their acts not publicly condemned, their crimes
tensions arising from disputes based on race, color, and
weaken even the strongest community.
national origin. Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
CRS is the only Federal agency dedicated to preventing and
Of all crimes, hate crimes are most likely to create or exacer-
resolving racial and ethnic tensions, incidents of violence,
bate tensions, which can trigger larger community-wide
and civil disorders. For more than 30 years, CRS has as-
conflict, civil disturbances, and even riots. The immediate
sisted in settling destructive conflicts and disturbances. In
expenses are police, fire, and medical personnel time, injury
1996, CRS helped governors, tribal leaders, mayors, police
or death, business and residential property loss, and damage
chiefs, school superintendents, and community leaders bring
to vehicles and equipment. Long-term, recovery is hindered
827 cases of community-wide conflicts to peaceful closure in
by a decline in property values, which results in lower tax
all 50 States.
revenues, scarcity of funds for rebuilding, and increased
insurance rates. Businesses and residents abandon these
In 1996, CRS was involved in 178 hate crime cases that
neighborhoods, leaving empty buildings to attract crime, and
caused or intensified community-wide racial and ethnic
the quality of schools declines due to the loss of tax revenue.
tensions. As authorized by the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
A municipality may have no choice but to cut services or
CRS became involved only in those cases in which the crimi-
raise taxes to cover the loss of income or leave the area in its
nal offender was motivated by the victim's race, color, or
post-riot condition until market forces of supply and demand
national origin. Of all hate crime offenses reported to the
rebuild the area.
U.S. Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) in 1995, 71 percent were motivated by the victim's
Victims and Perpetrators
race, color, or national origin.
From 1992 to 1995, the FBI received reports of more than
Hate Crime
25,000 hate crimes from State and local law enforcement
agencies. In 1995, the most recent figures reported covered
Hate crime is the violence of intolerance and bigotry, in-
only about 75 percent of the Nation's population. There were
tended to hurt and intimidate someone because of their race,
7,947 separate hate crime incidents involving 9,895 total
ethnicity, national origin, religious, sexual orientation, or
offenses, 10,469 victims, and 8,433 known perpetrators. Of
disability. The purveyors of hate use explosives, arson,
the offenses, 1,710 were violent crimes, 8,159 misdemean-
weapons, vandalism, physical violence, and verbal threats of
ors, and 26 listed as other. The crimes included 20 murders,
violence to instill fear in their victims, leaving them vulnera-
12 forcible rapes, 1,268 aggravated assaults, 1,796 simple
ble to more attacks and feeling alienated, helpless, suspicious
assaults, and 4,048 acts of intimidation.
and fearful. Others in the victim's population may become
frustrated and angry if the local government and other