NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A new campaign with the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office looks to make sure that no hate crime goes unreported, and Tennesseans are urged to report any hate crime they may know of.
"Our desire is really to support any victims of these crimes and address the problem, aggressively, so that people out there feel safe in their communities," said Supervisory Special Agent, Richard Baer.
According to the FBI, hate crimes nationwide have increased 25% in the past five years. In Tennessee in 2019 the following hate crimes were reported:
- 91 reported - race or ethnicity
- 12 reported - religion
- 10 reported - sexual orientation
- 1 reported - disability
- 3 reported - gender or gender identity
"Unfortunately, the state of things is such that there are vulnerable populations out there who don't know who to contact if they do feel that they're the victim of a hate crime," said Assistant United States Attorney Sara Beth Myers.
If you believe you have witnessed or been the victim of a hate crime, call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit the tip online.
Your complaint will be investigated regardless of your immigration status and the FBI has safety measures in place to protect victims from retaliation.
