For the ninth consecutive year, the City is issuing a report on both criminal and non-criminal hate and bias activity. Mayor Lucy Vinis and other city officials will speak at a press conference on Thursday, August 19, at 9:30 a.m. at the Mims Historic House (NAACP Office), 330 High St. with the release of the report. The event will be broadcast via Zoom, which can be accessed at https://eugene-or- gov.zoom.us/j/81763384591 with NoHate21 as passcode. To combat the spread of COVID-19, only speakers and media staff are invited to attend the event in person.
See the 2020 Eugene Hate and Bias Report.
See the Hat and Bias Response Plan.
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.
In 2020, there were 93 bias crimes and non-criminal incidents reported to the City through the Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement (HRNI) and Eugene Police Department (EPD), an increase from the 66 incidents reported in 2019. Bias crimes can include all classes of crime motivated by prejudice that is based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, housing status, or disability. Non-criminal incidents are acts of hate which are based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, but by nature do not raise to the level of crime by definition.
The small data set precludes drawing strong conclusions; however the results indicate race and ethnicity continues to be the leading motivating factor for reported hate and bias activity in 2020. African Americans were the group most affected by the crimes of physical violence and intimidation. The Jewish community was the main target of criminal vandalism, which includes graffiti containing hate messages. Black or African American community members were also the primary targets of non- criminal incidents. The distribution of hate and bias incidents did not change from previous years and central neighborhoods continue to be the most impacted areas.
It is probable that the incidents reported in Eugene represent only a small percentage of the actual activity occurring in the city. According to the Department of Justice’s 2017 Crime Victimization Survey1, 54% of hate crimes nationally were not reported to police for various reasons.
“Unfortunately, this current annual report has confirmed an expected increase in the number of bias crimes and incidents in 2020. In 2020 we saw the reversal of a declining trend in hate or bias crimes recorded since the end of 2017. In the wake of the racial justice protests following the killing of George Floyd and other African Americans, we saw the number of bias incidents targeting the African American community increase. This increase in bias activity contrasts with the support many residents of Eugene expressed for more inclusion of African Americans in our community. This illustrates the need for sustained work to promote actions that demonstrate that everyone belongs in our city.”
Fabio Andrade, Manager AIC, Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement.
The City of Eugene has a Hate and Bias Incident Response Plan. The office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement work in partnership with Eugene Police to respond and track incidents and crimes. Victims report through HRNI or Eugene Police. HNRI is responsible for collecting statistical information on both criminal and non-criminal hate and bias incidents and providing victim support and community response to hate and bias activity in Eugene. EPD takes reports, provides alerts to HNRI and City officials, and investigates criminal activity.
To report crimes: if it is an emergency, dial 911; if it is not an emergency, call 541-682-5111. To report non-criminal activity, submit an online report at www.eugene-or.gov/reporthate or call the City Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement at 541-682-5177.