By The Columbian Editorial Board
We don’t need the statistics to tell us what is happening in the United States. Anecdotal evidence and reports from law enforcement make it clear that there has been a rise in crimes fueled by anti-religious or anti-gay or racist bigotry.
Nor do we have any reason to smugly believe that such crimes are primarily the purview of states far from the utopia that is Washington. According to new data from the FBI, Washington ranked second behind California in the number of hate crimes in 2017, with law enforcement agencies in this state reporting 613 hate-motivated incidents. National numbers released this week showed a 17 percent increase in hate crimes over the previous year, including a 37 percent jump in reported anti-Semitic offenses.
There are a couple caveats that must be considered. One is that the jump is due, in part, to improved reporting of such crimes; the FBI says that an additional 1,000 law enforcement agencies provided reports this year. Another is that experts say incidents of hate crimes are grossly underreported to begin with, throwing all the data into question.
But while we can question the raw numbers, we also can confirm that there is tension and anger throughout the country that is increasingly being manifested in criminal acts. It is an anger that led Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins and Prosecuting Attorney Tony Golik to issue a joint statement earlier this year warning about what they see in this community and beyond. “We reject hate, bigotry, harassment, violence or the inciting of violence, and all actions intended to harm or intimidate others based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, or any other attribute which serves to marginalize people or groups of people,” the statement read, in part.
Atkins and Golik demonstrated the kind of leadership that is crucial during these tense times. They delivered a mission statement that provides guidance for all Clark County citizens and defines values that must not be compromised.
On a national level, unfortunately, President Trump is reluctant to embrace those values. His statement that there were “very fine people” at a 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that employed Nazi imagery and slogans will be remembered by history as one of the nadirs of his presidency. And the readiness with which he repeats anti-Semitic or racist conspiracies frequently stokes the resentment of his followers.
While we hope for better from the president of the United States, we also recognize that addressing an increase of hate crimes depends upon all of us. As Edmund Burke reportedly said in a quote often misattributed to Thomas Jefferson, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” Or, as The Columbian wrote editorially in August: “Those who attempt to intimidate or act violently towards others out of a false sense of superiority must be strongly denounced; people who believe in the strength of the United States must stand up for what truly makes this country great — respect for others.”
Allowing that respect to be diminished through hate-spewing websites and misinformation campaigns undermines the strength of our nation. And it creates a climate that is ripe for crimes targeting people because of their differences.
The United States, we believe, is better than that. As an increase in hate crimes demonstrates, it is time for Americans to stand on the right side of history in denouncing the bigotry that is infecting our nation.
The above editorial was published Friday in The Columbian.
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