The number of hate crimes in the United States spiked significantly after the 2016 election. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported more than 900 racist incidents targeting minorities in the ten days following the election, and between November 9th and March 31st, close to 1,900 incidents were reported.
Racial Harassment
Racial harassment of people of color and mixed ancestry continues to be a problem. A man of European and Korean heritage was in a restaurant in Kansas with his three-year-old daughter when another patron looked at him and stated that things are going to be cleaned up. He was mistaken for being Latino. He reported the incident to the Documenting Hate Project. Racial harassment in schools happens more frequently and is often the result of bullying by students or teachers.
Shooting Deaths By Police
Racial profiling of black men by police has resulted in shootings and deaths when there was no provocation by the men stopped by the police. People of color are routinely stopped more often by police, based on their perceived religion, race, or ethnicity. Incidents have been on the increase since the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and Michael Brown in 2014. In 2016, more than 250 black people were shot by police. At least 34 percent of the unarmed people shot by police were black males.
Church and Synagogue Attacks
White supremacist groups routinely target Black and Jewish Americans at churches and synagogues. Since the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, right-wing extremists have been responsible for more deaths than jihadists in this country. One of the worst church attacks was on Emanuel AME church in which nine African American parishioners were killed. Muslim and Jewish Americans and people of Asian, Latino, or European ancestry are the targets of white supremacists who believe they should go back to their own country when were born in the United States.
Hate Groups On Campus
Primary, secondary, and college students are commonly targeted as victims of hate crimes on campus. Hate groups have been posting flyers targeting people of color, mainly at college campuses. Most recently, the biggest number of incidents occurred the week following the 2016 election, and in February of 2017. Alt-right groups have been stepping up their efforts to recruit students on campus and have put up fliers on campuses across the country on more than 300 occasions since 2016. The fliers have been put up on 241 college campuses.
Wrongful Death In Jail
Wrongful death in jail occurs too often in jails and prisons around the country. People being incarcerated are sometimes withdrawing from drugs or alcohol, or have health issues like diabetes and are denied medication by prison guards. In some cases, guards who are members of hate groups target black inmates.
Learning about the common hate crimes that are being committed now, being aware of your surroundings, and sharing the information may decrease the chances of you or a family member being the victim of harassment or a hate crime.
Sources
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2017/year-hate-and-extremism
http://budgeandheipt.com/practice-areas/wrongful-death-in-jail-prison/
https://thinkprogress.org/thinkprogress-has-been-tracking-hate-since-trumps-election-here-s-what-we-found-e0288ed69869/
