In alignment with the City Council goal of creating a Safe Community, the City is committed to working with community partners to reach the vision of promoting a community where every person, regardless of their identity, is safe, valued, and welcome.

According to the City of Eugene’s Hate and Bias Incident Response Plan, the Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement (HRNI) is responsible for collecting statistical information on both criminal and non-criminal hate and bias activity and providing victim support and community response to hate and bias activity in Eugene. EPD takes reports and investigates criminal activity.

According to the 2017 Department of Justice Hate Crime Victimization Survey, it was estimated that nationally only 25-42% of hate crimes are reported to police. Given this information, it is likely that the hate and bias incidents reported in Eugene represent only a fraction of the actual activity that is occurring. Through our efforts, we are now capturing a larger percentage of the activity occurring in Eugene than before. As the climate surrounding hate and bias activity evolves, HRNI works to prepare community members with resources and skills for addressing hate and bias when it occurs close to home. The annual report of hate and bias activity helps the city understand the scope of the problem and respond to it accordingly.