When Does Hate Become A Crime?
Community Leaders Discuss Bias Incidents & Hate Crimes
When does hate become a crime? Do you know? Have you ever experienced a bias Incident? Do you know how to report it? Why doesn't the Black/Brown community report them as often as Asians or even the Jewish community? These are the questions I was seeking answers to in attending the Brooklyn Communities Without Hate Workshop.
As I stepped into the WiCafe restaurant, I realized this was a gem tucked away in Weeksville, Brooklyn. A black woman-owned business, owner Melissa gave the establishment the vibe of an intimate coffee shop with decor, but it was serving some delectable bites that made me realize I needed to come here for Brunch one day. Soft, moderate lighting against the brick wall interior provided calming energy, as the tall bearded man tuning up his keyboard and guitar created a soothing space.
The tall bearded man was Steff Reed, a Musician, Educator & Activist. Nominated for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award, he uses his creativity as a tool to bring awareness and change to communities. 7 minute read
He began to warm up the crowd with some original music like "Armageddon" from his LP The Power Of Love Experience, as well as covering songs like "Stand By Me" & "This Little Light Of Mine," which were well received by the people. As he strummed on his guitar, he belted out a soulful voice that would make you groove to the "Wheels On The Bus ." He set the tone with songs that embraced positivity, unity, and reflection that we don't have much time, so we need to get it right.
Immediately after his fantastic set, organizer and facilitator Dr. David K. Allen took to the mic. He is the founder of Epic Village Inc, dedicated to the fight against gun violence, focusing on the youth. He is also the Pastor of Bethel Tabernacle AME Church and a social activist at large. He laid the foundation for the conversation that would take place, introducing panel members (Sarye Huggins, Kellen Khelefu, President Interim of 67th Precinct clergy Edward Hines and a community member), supporters of the event, as well as the Police Officers from the 77th precinct in attendance.
We were now getting to the meat and potatoes of the event as Sarye Huggins, 10th Grade English Teacher at a Charter School, discussed her bias experience. Working at a predominantly white school, she expressed feeling that she is leaned on to be a disciplinary figure to the children as a black woman. She added that she doesn't want to feel like her role as an educator would be watered down to just enforcing rules. Hearing her story, I couldn't help but parallel it to the imagery of historically, black women being primary caretakers of the master's children during slavery. Even as we move down the timeline to the 1960s & 1970s in the south, it was very likely that black nannies/housekeepers would be hired to work in the white homes becoming the main authority figure to the children.
She also discussed experiencing bias with police officers and leaned on the 77th precinct for guidance on dealing with these encounters. The response from the female officer was, "We too can get reported. We have a boss to answer to. It should not have happened, but in situations that it has, or you're unsure, just go and report it. They will help you understand what you experienced."
This answer came with resistance as we then treaded the waters of subjectivity. Another young woman recounted a time that she indeed reported a bias incident to one precinct who advised it didn't warrant a write-up. Hence, she went to another one outside of her neighborhood that did validate her claims. This is where the definition of these terms was expounded upon, as perception and understanding of them can drive a lack of reporting in black and brown communities.
A hate crime is when action combines with a word of hate causing pain to the victim due to their gender/sexual orientation/disability/race/ethnicity/gender identity/religion. I.e. calling someone a slur is not a hate crime until a physical action that causes pain to another party has occurred (although a defamatory remark does have a legal category for prosecution). Victoria Allen, Licensed School Guidance Counselor, gave an example of a group of young students forming a white supremacy chapter and recruiting other students in her school. Those they deemed of "impure blood" were harassed, but only verbally. Therefore this would not fall under a hate crime until someone is physically hurt.
On the other hand, a bias incident does not require physical harm to report. If you are called a racial slur or discriminated against, you can report this to the police.
Director of Neighbors In Action S.O.S Kellen Khelefu, noted the importance of breaking down a few key words that may cause subjective P.O.V, helping to clarify why these acts are not reported. "Definition creates the reality, the perception of how we see things. What defines a crime is us. Crime is literally policy…It was a crime for women to be in the workplace, it was a crime for me (black people) to be able to read, so I just want to keep that in context. So when we talk about disparity and report of hate crimes, sometimes the perception and definition of that may need to be more inclusive," noted Kellen. As we further broke down some of the terminologies, he also stepped in on some perspective on the word pain. "I can't tell you if you're in pain or not. Pain is interpreted in so many ways," presenting another concern for the umbrella definition of a hate crime.
Black & brown communities often feel they aren't included in this definition because of our history, i.e., it was socially and lawfully accepted at one point for black people to be lynched, killed, raped & enslaved. This plays into the perception that there is a level of acceptance when these things happen to us. We also don't feel safe reporting it due to distrust in the government to protect us and hear our voice. Esther Joseph from Partners Against The Hate (P.A.T.H) noted, "Not only our relationship with police but other institutions have placed barriers for us to report biases in the black community…When you hear the word "Hate crime," you don't think of black people. And it not getting reported is because we don't really know the definition right, so when we experience it, we are like, oh, did we just go through that? So we just go on about our day. But we need to report to show not only people in our community but our elected officials that we are affected by this."
Statistics show that according to the Hate Crime Statistics 2020, the FBI stated that the number of reported hate crimes by race/ethnicity/ancestry was 61.8%. (I did the math which estimated about 26% was black). According to the same report, the reports of hate crimes among black persons rose by 40% during the pandemic, and it rose 70% for Asian persons.
Pastor Monrose, former President of the 67th Precinct Clergy God Squad and currently a Commissioner at the Mayor's Office, gave a poignant point when he introduced the concept of buyer's remorse within a community setting. By default, black & brown communities may be less likely to call the cops for general crimes, fearing the escalation process. "Sometimes we don't want to report a crime because we don't want to call the police, something happens, and then another black man is shot and killed. So you see all of the layers we have to deal with in the Black community." An audience member stated he doesn't always call the cops when a crime like his car being broken into happens. Monroe further elaborates his point, "Sometimes our community would rather repair their window, take the loss, than risk the possible consequence of calling police to the scene.
There are so many external and internal reasons why black & brown communities stray from police interaction, even in cases of necessity. Systemic racism has placed the most significant weight of distrust on the minority community, as we doubt our claims will be heard or seen. People feel victimized by just reporting it when they are dismissed because the system doesn't feel like what they went through was traumatic.
The audience also spoke their mind on solutions, which many felt like internal protection and spaces to support and educate other are needed. "There are so many groups fighting for the same cause, what would it look like if we all banded together," mentioned an audience member. I found this interesting because we have all of these causes fighting for the same outcome, however, we don't pool our resources, finances, and labor together to create the ultimate organization.
Another young man reminded us of Black Wall Street. "Just as the Jewish community has their own ambulances, we need to bring Black Wall Street back. We need our own resources." We understand what the government has to protect society, but there is a deeper layer where minorities feel they need protection from that same society.
Going into the psychological space, it was pointed out how much unlearning and healing needs to happen within the black/brown communities with each other before we can look to have trust in the Law. We need to protect each other, not be afraid of one another in our neighborhoods. Kellen even suggested we need to use our networking and financial resources to create outlets that walk persons through the trauma, and provides ways to show them how to report it.
The Law, its interpretation, and its enforcement seem to depend on the community. There are so many complex layers for the black/brown community when it comes to bias incidents or hate crimes, whether it's coming from within or externally. But to make a change, we must start the conversation. That is what the 67th Precinct Clergy, Neighborhood In Action S.O.S, Partners Against The Hate, the 77th precinct officers, and all in attendance were there to do. If you are interested in attending any of these workshops to help inform your community, follow @davidKAllen on IG
If you feel you have experienced a bias incident or hate crime, report it immediately. Even if you are unsure if it constitutes to be considered one, it's time to start taking action, letting our voices be heard, and creating a paper trail. Go to your nearest precinct and tell your story. The upcoming generations are counting on your action and will be affected by your inaction. Your voice matters. Your experience matters. Your life matters.