The city of Eugene defines a hate crime as any criminal act or attempted criminal act that is directed against a person or group of people based on the victims’ actual or perceived association with a protected class, according to Eugene’s 2019 Hate and Bias report that was published in mid-October.
Forty-eight hate and bias crimes were reported in 2019. Nineteen non-criminal incidents were also reported that year. The report clarifies that some of the non-criminal incidents could have been classified as criminal if the victim had filed a police report. 

The Black community was the target of most of these hate and bias incidents in 2019, according to the report.

The National Crime Victimization Survey prepared by the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that 54% of hate-motivated incidents were not reported to law enforcement between 2011 and 2015, according to the report.

Fabio Andrade, the Human Rights and Equity Analyst for the City Manager’s Office, plays a large role in preparing the Hate and Bias reports. When asked whether the statistic about unreported incidents in Eugene was being recorded and reported, Andrade said it was not an easy statistic to gauge. 

“It is very difficult to track the underreporting of hate crimes year by year, that is why we used [the National Crime Victimization Survey] statistics,” Andrade said. “We don’t think it would be great methodology to report on something we hear. We don’t see the benefit of estimating how many reports went unreported.”

The annual report that started 10 years ago summarizes any hate and bias-related incidents that have occurred over the calendar year, both criminal and non-criminal. On top of providing statistics, the report adds in measures that the city is putting in place in order to reduce the amount of hate-related incidents.

The report also looks ahead to initiatives the city plans on moving forward with in the coming year. 

“The number of reported hate and bias crimes and incidents during 2019 indicates that hate and bias activity in Eugene is experiencing a declining trend,” the report said. “Yet, we know that one hate and bias case is too many.”

While many Eugene government officials contribute to the report, the three departments tasked with monitoring hate and bias in Eugene during the year are the Eugene Police Department, the Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement Office and the Human Rights Commission.

“We have a system that is a partnership between EPD and the Office of Human Rights so that people can report these incidents to a civilian office if that is what they feel comfortable with,” Andrade said. “In that regard, Eugene is a pioneer around this situation.”
Margot Helphand, the chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Lane County, spoke on the effects that the report had on the Jewish community.

“I think that since they have been doing this report, which hasn’t been for too long, the way this community is reflected is fair,” Helphand said. “It’s a very positive thing to have, and I’m not saying it reflects all of the incidents that happen in our community or others, but it’s better than not having that information out there.”

“While it doesn’t reach criminal status, the images of swastikas are a very serious issue throughout this community, and I think that deserves to be emphasized,” Helphand said.

The city’s initiatives around hate and bias were laid out at the end of the report. This included offering training to neighborhood associations and community groups interested in using the Hate and Bias Prevention and Response Toolkit. The initiatives also included training all City of Eugene staff on the Belonging program, which “addresses culture-sensitive [customer] service, respectful workplace, and community engagement among other topics.”

EPD, HRNI and the Human Rights Commission will identify patterns in 2020 by monitoring the monthly reports around hate and bias, according to the report. 

NOTE: If you or someone you know have been the victim of hate and bias incidents here in Eugene, here is a list of resources to help report and understand these incidents:

Oregon’s Hate Crimes Resources: https://www.doj.state.or.us/oregon-department-of-justice/biascrimes/about-the-law/

Hate & Bias Response and Prevention tool kit: https://www.eugene-or.gov/4061/Hate-Bias-Preventionand-Response-Toolki 

City of Eugene Hate and Bias Response Plan: https://www.eugeneor.gov/DocumentCenter/View/46329/Hate-and-Bias-Response-Plan-05-13-19- 

Discrimination, Hate and Bias Cimplaints: https://www.eugene-or.gov/529/Hate-and-Bias