United Against Hate: Identifying, Reporting and Preventing Hate Crimes

In 2023, the Department of Justice launched a nationwide initiative to combat unlawful acts of hate.  United Against Hate connects federal, state, and local law enforcement partners with communities in order to build trust, educate people about hate crimes, and encourage reporting of hate crimes and incidents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee (USAO-WDTN) United Against Hate initiative brings federal prosecutors and investigative partners to present at area high schools, churches, and other community locations to help educate people on identifying, reporting, and preventing hate crimes and other civil rights violations. Together with our local partners, USAO-WDTN’s United Against Hate campaign empowers students, residents, and communities to stand against racism and discrimination and alter the course of growing intolerance.  

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:

Using hypothetical scenarios, case profiles, 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 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.

Please check our newsroom for details on upcoming United Against Hate events in Western Tennessee.

Request a presentation for your school or community group by filling out this form and emailing it to USATNW-Media@usdoj.gov.

Additional Resources:

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

Facts on Tennessee’s Hate Crime Incidents: https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/state-specific-information/tennessee

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

To Report Acts of Hate

Anyone who feels they have been the victim of a hate crime or may have witnessed a hate crime should immediately report the crime to state or local police by dialing 9-1-1.

The next step is to quickly follow up that report by notifying the FBI. You can report a hate crime to the FBI online at tips.FBI.gov. You can also call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Or you can reach out to the FBI Memphis field office at memphis.fbi.gov or (901) 747-4300.

Not every hate incident involves a crime. You can report any incident to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division at civilrights.justice.gov or by contacting the Civil Rights Coordinator in the Civil Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 901-544-4231.