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Tennessee

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 Hate Crime Statistics Case Examples News DOJ Offices 


Fast Facts on Tennessee Hate Crime Incidents*

Bias Motivation Categories by Year

Bias Motivation Category 2020 2021 2022
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry 56 91 75
Religion 4 19 9
Sexual Orientation 16 20 8
Disability 2 11 6
Gender 0 2 1
Gender Identity 2 4 1
Total: 80 147 100

Types of Crime

Crimes Against Persons 100 79.4%
Crimes Against Property 23 18.3%
Crimes Against Society 3 2.4%

Bias Motivation Categories

Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry 75 75.0%
Religion 9 9.0%
Sexual Orientation 8 8.0%
Disability 6 6.0%
Gender 1 1.0%
Gender Identity 1 1.0%

 


*2021 was the first year that the annual hate crimes statistics were reported entirely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).  As a result of the shift to NIBRS-only data collection, law enforcement agency participation in submitting all crime statistics, including hate crimes, fell significantly from 2020 to 2021.  


Case Examples

A Kansas man was charged with two hate crimes for threatening to attack a Nashville Pride event.

According to the charges, on April 26, 2023, the defendant posted comments on the social media account for Nashville Pride threatening to “make shrapnel pressure cooker bombs for this event.” In another comment posted the same day, the defendant threatened to “commit a mass shooting.”

These are serious allegations. But the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/kansas-man-facing-federal-charges-making-online-threats-toward-nashville-pride-event

A federal court sentenced a Tennessee man to seven years in prison for setting fire to four Nashville area churches.

According to evidence, the man intentionally set fire to the Crievewood United Methodist Church on June 17, 2019; the Crievewood Baptist Church on June 25, 2019; the Saint Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church on June 25, 2019; and the Priest Lake Community Baptist Church on June 26, 2019, all because of their religious character. The fires resulted in significant damage to all four churches.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tennessee-man-sentenced-seven-years-series-church-arsons

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tennessee-man-charged-civil-rights-violations-series-church-arsons

A Tennessee man pled guilty to a federal hate crime offense for assaulting two girls and their father.

On October 24, 2017, he yelled “Allahu Akbar!” and “Go back to your country!” at two teenage girls wearing hijabs. He later attacked and injured the girls’ father by swinging a knife and punching at him. When the girls’ mother arrived on the scene with her young child in her car, he chased after them with his knife still drawn. After being taken into custody, the defendant made derogatory comments about the family, pledged to kill them when the police released him, and admitted that he carried out this assault because of the actual and perceived religion and national origin of the victims.

He will be sentenced on October 7, 2021.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tennessee-man-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crime

News


 

DOJ Offices

FBI Field Offices

FBI

 

Knoxville
1501 Dowell Springs Boulevard
Knoxville, TN 37909

T: 865.544.0751
knoxville.fbi.gov

Memphis
225 North Humphreys Boulevard
Suite 3000
Memphis, TN 38120

T: 901.747.4300
memphis.fbi.gov


U.S. Attorneys' Offices

DOJ

 

Eastern District of Tennessee (Knoxville)
www.justice.gov/usao-edtn

Middle District of Tennessee (Nashville)
www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/contact-us

Western District of Tennessee (Memphis)
www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/contact-us


CRS Regional Offices

CRS

 

Southeastern Regional Office
61 Forsyth Street SW
Suite 7B65
Atlanta, GA 30303

T: 404.331.6883
F: 404.331.4471
askcrs@usdoj.gov

Southeastern Field Office
51 SW First Avenue
Suite 624
Miami, FL 33130

T: 305.536.5206
F: 305.536.6778
askcrs@usdoj.gov

Updated November 16, 2023