United Against Hate

United Against Hate:
Identifying, Reporting and Preventing Hate Crimes

United Against Hate is a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to combat unlawful acts of hate.  This initiative will connect federal, state, and local law enforcement with communities in order to build trust and encourage people to report hate crimes and incidents. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York (USAO-WDNY) launched its United Against Hate initiative in September of 2022.  Together with our local partners, USAO-WDNY’s United Against Hate campaign empowers local residents and communities to stand against racism and discrimination and alter the course of growing intolerance.  Creating inclusion and equity are vital to building healthy and resilient communities.   When cities and residents work together against hate, we can restore respect, embrace the strength of diversity, and build inclusive and equitable communities for all. 

Goals of the United Against Hate Community Outreach Program:

• Increase community understanding and reporting of hate crimes and incidents;
• Build trust between the Department of Justice and the communities we serve; and
• Create and strengthen alliances to combat hate between USAOs, federal, state, and local law enforcement and other government partners and community organizations.

Program Details:

Through using hypothetical scenarios and video clips depicting real-life hate crime cases and stories, United Against Hate promotes robust interaction between community members and law enforcement participants. Program topics will include defining hate crimes versus hate incidents; the importance of reporting unlawful acts of hate; providing options for responding to hate incidents when situations do not constitute a federal or state crime; and distinguishing unlawful conduct from protected First Amendment activity, including identifying protected speech versus speech that advocates violence or encourages people to commit hate crimes.

Additional Resources:

For more on our office's Civil Rights Program: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/civil-rights

FBI’s 2022 Hate Crime Statistics: https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/hate-crime-statistics

Facts on New York Hate Crime Incidents: https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/state-data/new-york

Hate Crime Case Examples: https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/hate-crimes-case-examples
 

Report a Civil Rights Violation:

To report a hate crime, contact the FBI Buffalo Field Office  at (716) 856-7800 or www.tips.fbi.gov. 

To report a civil rights violation, please use our Civil Rights Complaint Form