King County Office of Equity and Social Justice (OESJ) is proud to support the newly formed Coalition Against Hate & Bias (the Coalition). The Coalition is a community-led initiative to address hate and bias incidents by strengthening and networking communities who experience racist and bigoted treatment and all forms of oppression. The Coalition Partners are also the administrators of the Hate and Bias Incident Response Survey to collect data from communities affected by hate and bias.

What you need to know about the Coalition:

• Community Led
  Coalition partners use their relationships with community and cultural acuity to lead this work in the ways that will truly serve and benefit their communities.  King County and OESJ will provide support, but with the knowledge that societal change comes from the people – not government or programs.  
• Not the Police
  While law enforcement plays an important role in combating hate and bias crimes, the Coalition operates separate and apart from the police to strengthen communities through reporting and education.
• 100% Confidential and Anonymous
  No personal or identifying information will be sent to King County nor collected in the administration of the Coalition’s survey.
• Produce Reliable Data
  By removing barriers to reporting and increasing outreach to populations that have not traditionally reported hate and bias incidents to the police, the Coalition will produce data far more reliable and purer than existing methods of data collection.
• Education, Visibility, and Art
  Education and visibility have deterrent effects on hate and bias incidents.  Art has also played a critical role in the messaging and force of social movements throughout our country’s history.  Art also highlights the vibrancy of our County’s communities rather than those that would cause harm through hate and bias.
• Referrals and Networking
  Data collection is only one part of the Coalition’s work.When hate and bias incidents occur, it is not enough to simply report or even to punish the bad actors.  Though referrals and networking, the Coalition recognizes the complex experience of being subject to a hate crime and can provide support beyond the administration of the survey.  Strengthening community in this way allows communities to move and advocate in ways that government and law enforcement cannot.
• Looking Beyond the Current COVID-19 Crisis
  While many API communities have experienced an alarming rise in the reported incidents of hate and bias against them during the COVID-19 crisis, the Coalition recognizes that this is just the latest manifestation of xenophobia to arise from the white supremist norms and attitudes that pervade our country’s systems.  After COVID-19 is over, the Coalition will continue to strengthen communities and will be in-place for those that experience hate and bias because of who they are.

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Why was the Coalition Formed?

1. Traditional law enforcement remedies disproportionately affect communities of color. The Coalition recognizes that enacting ordinances and laws to criminalize and punish hate crimes has not only proved ineffective in deterring hate-based activities, it often has a disproportionate impact on people of color, particularly young, black and brown men.  The Coalition’s work, including the Hate and Bias Incident Response Survey, does not involve the police or any law enforcement agency.
2. Hate and bias crimes and incidents go largely under-reported and the data that collected is limited in its utility. The under-reporting of hate crimes, even in times of increased hate crime activity, produces potentially skewed data, largely unhelpful to policy makers and law enforcement agencies (LEA).  Even when reported, there is no standardized or uniform way LEAs collect and analyze the data, if the alleged incident rises to the level of a potential crime.  Multiple factors contribute to underreporting, including tenuous community-LEA relationships, ease of reporting, and lack of education or awareness surrounding hate crimes.  Coalition will collect data directly from communities without having to call 911 and collects information to a centralized database with uniform metrics.
3. Visibility and community empowerment have deterrent effects on hate and bias crimes. In addition to collecting data from communities, this Coalition will also provide communities resources and education on how to address hate and bias incidents.  This is coupled with a visibility campaign with the partnership of our community artist, Matt Echohawk-Hayashi of the Headwater People.  Visible messaging of anti-hate, anti-bias, and community empowerment also have a direct deterrent effect on bias crimes and incidents.

Questions & Comments:

Coalition Against Hate and Bias Manager: Phyllis Sutton

Email:              ESJHateBias@kingcounty.gov

Phone: (206) 698-3615

Address:         Office of Equity and Social Justice – Civil Rights Program
                        Attn:  Coalition Against Hate & Bias
                        401 Fifth Ave – 8^th Floor
                        Seattle, WA 98104