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FBI Report Says Majority Of Oregon Hate Crimes Reported In Eugene

Vandalized section of a local church.
Photo submitted by Reverend Adam Briddell.
Vandalized section of a local church.

A city official is responding to an FBI report showing Eugene has the highest number of hate crimes in Oregon. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports. 

Vandalized section of a local church.
Credit Photo submitted by Reverend Adam Briddell.
Vandalized section of a local church.

The FBI’s 2017 datashows Eugene with almost half of Oregon’s 149 reported crimes against race, religion, disability, and sexual orientation.  And an earlier report by the city shows a nearly 70 percent increase in hate crimes from 2016 to last year.

The City of Eugene's Human Rights and Equity Manager, Katie Babits, at today's EPD news conference.
Credit Brian Bull / KLCC
/
KLCC
The City of Eugene's Human Rights and Equity Manager, Katie Babits, at today's EPD news conference.

“I do think that people should feel safe here in Eugene,” says Katie Babits.  She’s the city’s Human Rights and Equity Analyst.  

Babits acknowledges that Eugene is a largely homogenous community, and because of that not everyone is aware of hate crime activity.  She says there’s several reasons for the increase.

“There’s a chance that people may feel more empowered to act on their feelings of hate, and that could be contributing factor,” she tells KLCC. 

“Also our office has done a lot of community outreach with community organizations that support marginalized populations in Eugene. An effort to make sure that people are more aware.”

In other words, people may be more alert and more apt to recognize and report hate crimes.

The FBI’s latest report shows the City of Eugenewith 72 reported hate crimes in 2017.  


WEB EXTRA: Katie Babits on what religious groups work with her department:


That’s a high number, but it’s still smaller than incidents listed in the city’s official report released in March. In that document, the number of hate and bias crimes last year was 139.

David Natt is a lieutenant with the Eugene Police Department. He says the difference in numbers falls down to the number of protected classes - groups vulnerable to prejudice - that the city recognizes versus the state and federal governments.

Oregon garage vandalized with swastika.
Credit Katie Dunne
Oregon garage vandalized with swastika.

“The number of protected classes as covered by Oregon is greater than the federal, and then the City of Eugene is actually greater than the Oregon definition of protected classes,” explains Natt.  

“I think the City of Eugene has more than a dozen: sexual orientation, income, housing status, ethnicity, national origin, I mean…all the things that you can think of that’d potentially be a protected class.”

Natt says for hateful incidents that don’t rise to criminal levels, the City of Eugene’s Human Rights and Equity Commission can help victims find resources and support.   

Copyright 2018, KLCC.

Copyright 2018 KLCC

Brian Bull joined the KLCC News Team in June 2016. He is a 20-year reporter who has worked at NPR, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including three Edward R. Murrow Awards and the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award in 2012.