New Hotline to Report Hate

Hate can happen while grocery shopping, commuting to work or walking around a park. Discrimination, bullying, harassment and assaults based on race, religion, sexual orientation and other acts of bias have been on the rise.

The last three years have been especially tough for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) because a former U.S. president and others wrongly blamed this community for the COVID-19 pandemic. The rhetoric largely spurred attacks against Asians.

While 911 is always available for life-threatening situations, there’s now a new non-emergency statewide hotline to report hate incidents, California vs. Hate. That number is 833-8NOHATE, or 833-866-4283, and is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Care coordinators can provide assistance in more than 200 languages. And because victims may be afraid of law enforcement, the hotline workers can also facilitate involving the police or local prosecutors, if warranted. But people can also remain anonymous, if they choose. Online reporting is also available at CAvsHate.org.

As Assembly budget chair, I championed the $166.5 million Asian Pacific Islander Equity Budget, which includes $10 million for the creation and implementation of this hotline. We need a dedicated line to keep track of hate incidents because we can’t solve a problem unless we know how big it is. The data collected will guide us in crafting policies and directing efforts toward stopping hate.

The hotline can also connect victims with programs to help them deal with the aftermath, including legal services, mental health support or housing. Some may not know what to do once they’ve experienced a hate incident, and we wanted to make sure they could move forward with experts who understand the network of resources available.

California vs. Hate builds on the work that Stop AAPI Hate started back in March of 2020. The organization provides an online tool where victims of Asian hate across the country could report their encounters. More than 11,000 incidents have been reported over a three year period. The number is likely higher because hate crimes/incidents tend to be under-reported, as some fear law enforcement or retaliation. In San Francisco, city officials reported a 567% jump in 2021 of anti-Asian hate crimes.

Though the spike in cases involving hate against Asians led to the development of the new hotline, it is open to all communities. This is necessary because it’s clear numerous groups could benefit. The latest California Department of Justice report shows hate crimes overall have surged nearly 33% – from 1,330 cases in 2020 to 1,763 – the following year. That’s the sixth highest total recorded since the agency collecting this data in 1995. Among the highlights:

• Hate crimes against African Americans were most prevalent, rising 12.5% to 513 cases.

• Incidents motivated by sexual orientation jumped 50% to 303 cases.

• In the religious bias category, anti-Jewish events were up 32% to 152 cases.

• Latinos saw a nearly 30% increase with 152 cases.

• By far, Asian Americans saw the steepest climb, 177.5%, rising from 89 cases to 247.

In its first month of operation, the hotline is already proving to be a valuable tool. Preliminary data shows 180 incidents were reported statewide. Race and ethnicity were most commonly cited, followed by religion and sexual orientation.

If you experience a hate incident, I encourage you to contact the California vs. Hate hotline to not only report what happened to you, but to also get the support you need. Additionally, reporting your case will help policy makers, like me, get a fuller picture of hate in our state. This will, in turn, enable us to take more steps to address it.

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the west side of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma and Daly City as well as part of South San Francisco.