FBI report shows increase in hate crimes reported in Massachusetts

BOSTON — ate crimes in Massachusetts are on the rise in Massachusetts, according to a new data released Tuesday by the FBI.

Massachusetts saw an eight-percent increase in hate crimes in 2017 compared to 2016.

Police reported 427 hate crimes last year. 232 incidents were motivated by the victim’s race, ethnicity and/or ancestry, 118 incidents by the victim’s religion, 65 by the victim’s sexual orientation, nine by the victim’s disability, nine by the victim’s gender identity and eight by the victim’s gender.

141 hate crimes occurred in Boston – 79 were motivated by the victim’s race, ethnicity and/or ancestry, 33 by the victim’s sexual orientation, 28 by the victim’s religion and one by the victim’s gender identity.

The most hate crimes on a university or college campus in Massachusetts occurred at Westfield State University. Ten incidents were reported last year – all were motivated by the victim’s race, ethnicity and/or ancestry. Two of the cases also targeted the victim’s religion.

“Like many colleges and universities in Massachusetts and across the nation, our campus experienced multiple hate crimes in 2017-2018,” Tricia Oliver, Director of Campus Communications at Westfield State University, told Boston 25 News in a statement. “Westfield State University addressed these terrible incidents openly, swiftly and comprehensively. We made it clear that hate will not be tolerated in any form on our campus.”

Oliver said the university expanded programming and curriculum on diversity, engaged state and local police resources and installed additional surveillance cameras across campus following last year’s hate crimes.

“In the current calendar and academic year we have seen a sharp decline in such incidents and continue to be vigilant in addressing the issue,” Oliver said.

Robert Trestan, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League's New England office, told Boston 25 News the FBI data confirms hate and bias have become part of daily life in America.

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“Most of the hatred that thousands of people experience never rises to the level of a crime statistic but still profoundly impacts communities,”  Trestan said in a statement. “The hateful rhetoric and hate speech that has seeped its way to everyday life is translating into actual crimes being committed against people.”

Trestan said the FBI report is a warning sign people should pay attention to.

The statewide spike in hate crimes paled in comparison to the nationwide increase of 17-percent. There were 7,175 incidents reported in the United States in 2017 compared to 6,121 incidents in 2016. Although the numbers increased last year, so did the number of law enforcement agencies reporting hate crime data - with approximately 1,000 additional agencies contributing information.

About 5,000 of the hate crimes reported were categorized as crimes against persons, such as intimidation or assault. About 3,000 were considered crimes against property, such as vandalism, robbery or burglary. Some hate crime incidents were classified as both crimes against persons and crimes against property.

“The FBI is working with law enforcement partners across the country to encourage reporting of hate crime statistics,” the FBI said in a statement. “Next year, FBI personnel will provide training for law enforcement officers on how to identify bias-motivated incidents and report that data to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.”

The FBI said reporting hate crime data allows the public, researchers, community leaders, local government and law enforcement agencies to raise awareness of the issue and gain a more accurate picture of hate crimes, in addition to developing data-focused strategies and preventative measures.

Hate crimes are the highest investigative priority in the FBI’s civil rights program.

Cox Media Group