HRS Hate Documentation Project
The purpose of HRS’s Hate Documentation Project is to create the most comprehensive community record of hate-motivated crimes and bias incidents that occur in Spokane County, Washington.
Hate Crime vs Bias Incident – The Difference
In 2019, Washington State changed the malicious harassment law to a hate crime offense law. A person is guilty of a hate crime offense if they commit one of the following acts based on their perception of the victim’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical or sensory disability:
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Causes physical injury to the victim or another person;
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Causes physical damage to or destruction of the property of the victim or another person;
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Threatens a specific person or group of people and places that person, or members of the specific group of persons, in reasonable fear of harm to person or property.
A bias incident is a non-criminal action committed against a person or property, the motive for which is based in whole or in part upon the same characteristics mentioned above. Because they are non-criminal in nature, police are limited in their ability to be involved.
The HRS Annual Report includes hate crimes and bias incidents reported through our Hate Reporting Tool, hate crimes recorded by law enforcement, reports from the Pacific Northwest Anti-Defamation League and Eastern Washington University. All collected data used in the report is de-identified to protect the privacy of all individuals involved.
The core objectives of the Hate Documentation Project are to:
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Create a community record of hate crimes and incidents
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Develop reports of crimes and incidents to share with the public
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Use collected information to support and coordinate educational, programmatic, and awareness activities along with improving response and prevention efforts to hate in our community
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Provide resources to individuals who choose to be contacted by a trained responder
If you are interested in promoting our Hate Reporting Tool, see our Report Tool Kit. HRS believes that most of the hate crimes and bias incidents go unreported in Spokane County. Helping us advocate for the importance and benefits of reporting is encouraged and greatly appreciated!