As the rate of reported hate crimes increases across the country, a bill to require Massachusetts law enforcement agencies and communities to report Hate Crime incidents is currently under study by the state legislature. The Massachusetts Hate Crimes Reporting Act was originally introduced in late March of 2021 to advance and change the current hate crime reporting practices which are informal and unevenly enforced. The proposed bill is currently being put on a study order for further review by the Massachusetts State Senate.
In recent years, across the United States, there has been an increase in hate crimes targeting People of Color. While Blacks are still the most frequently targeted group for hate crime, anti-Asian hate crime is steadily increasing. From 2020 to 2021, anti-Asian hate crimes increased 339 percent nationwide, according to the FBI and multiple state agencies. Several major cities saw especially big jumps: New York City reported a rise from 30 to 133 anti-Asian hate crimes, a 343 percent increase. San Francisco rose from nine to 60 crimes, a 567 percent increase while Los Angeles rose 173 percent according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2020 FBI Hate Crime Statistics revealed that the number of reported hate crimes in the United States rose in 2020 to the highest level in 12 years. The FBI hate crime statistics documented that reports of anti-Asian hate crimes sharply increased by over 70%.” (The U.S. Department of Justice.) It is suggested that one reason anti-Asians hate crimes are increasing is because the Covid-19 virus originated in China, causing some people to take their anger at the pandemic out on innocent Asian residents.
However, Massachusetts has not seen such a dramatic increase in reported activity. From 2020 to 2021, reported anti-Asian hate crimes only rose from 22 to 29 incidents. Yet, Massachusetts is the sixth most Asian state in the US, with about 7% of the population of Asian ethnicity. Only Hawaii (36.8%) California (15.3%), New Jersey (10%), New York (9%) and Washington state (9.3%) have greater shares. Does this mean that Massachusetts is just a nicer place to live?
We can’t answer that question because in Massachusetts, local cities and towns, as well as colleges, are not required to report hate crimes to the state; it is only done voluntarily. The state of New York with a similar Asian population does have mandatory hate crime data reporting for the Annual Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Also, under California Penal Code section 13023, law enforcement are required to report hate crime data. This means that the rise in Asian related hate crimes is more accurate in New York and California. If we look at the history of reported anti-Asian hate crimes in Massachusetts from 2000-2017 we see a wide range of numbers with no clear pattern. The lack of reliable data is an important reason why the Massachusetts Hate Crimes Reporting Act is being considered by the legislature.
| Bias Type | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Total | % of Total | Average |
| Anti-Asian | 23 | 36 | 53 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 292 | 4.10% | 16 |
From the 2017 Massachusetts Hate Crime Report
Hate crime reporting is a complicated issue. Above all it requires that the victims of the crime report the incident to the police. Some victims don’t report being victims of hate crimes due to fear, shame, and other cultural and sociological reasons.
Asians are clearly concerned about the threat of hate crimes. A study published by the Pew Center in May 2022, from a survey conducted in 2021 found that “one-in-five Asian Americans say they worry daily (7%) or almost daily (14%) that they might be threatened or attacked because of their race or ethnicity.”
Along with making it mandatory to report hate crimes to a statewide authority to ensure better tracking and problem identification, it is critical that members of the Asian community report incidents where a hate crime may also have occurred. For those who do not know what constitutes a hate crime, a crime is considered a hate crime if it is motivated by the offender’s bias toward the victim because the victim is a member of a protected group. A protected group consists of a people’s race/skin-color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, and age.
Serious changes need to be made to ensure the safety of everyone who is vulnerable to being a victim of a hate crime. The best way to correct the issue of inaccurate data is to make sure that the Massachusetts State Senate and House are aware of how important it is to pass the Massachusetts Hate Crime Reporting Act. If communities and law enforcement agencies are required to report hate crime data, then the state will know how prevalent serious hate crimes are and will delegate more effort and manpower to combat and prevent it. “Awareness of hate crimes and hate incidents is a necessary first step to ensure effective action and responses to them. Having a full understanding of the nature and scope of this problem, its origins, and its impacts on affected communities is necessary for our nation to take steps to address it and mitigate its harmful effects,” (The U.S. Department of Justice). Now is the time to make everyone’s voices heard, especially people who are targets of hate crimes.
