Hamilton police’s latest Hate/Bias Report shows that members of the Black, Jewish, and LGBTQ2 communities are the most frequently victimized groups in the city. In 2023, the Hamilton Police Service addressed 220 calls related to hate/bias, with the majority being directly related to racial bias, followed by religion and sexual orientation. Overall, there was a 26.4% year-over-year increase in hate incidents, which is lower than the previous year’s increase of 64%.
The report highlights that international events, such as the ‘Capture the Pride Flag’ challenge and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, led to notable increases in hate crimes. Victims who did not pursue complaints often cited reasons such as not seeing the incident as important, feeling the chances of police apprehension were low, or being embarrassed about being targeted. Additionally, not realizing they had been victimized, attempting to resolve the issue themselves, or negative experiences with police were other factors contributing to investigations not being pursued.
The data in the report indicates that community outreach efforts encouraging victims to report and improved training for officers likely contributed to the rise in reported cases year over year. The report also mentions that hate crimes and incidents in the study are the only ones the service knows about, and changes in numbers may reflect increased reporting due to community outreach efforts or heightened awareness. The majority of reported hate-related occurrences were random in nature and believed to have been committed by individuals rather than organized groups.
In terms of specific communities targeted, the Black community was the most targeted, accounting for 69 occurrences, with 42% being graffiti-related. The Jewish community experienced the bulk of hate incidents related to religion, with 44 incidents, over 77% of which involved graffiti. Reports from the Muslim community increased significantly from five in 2022 to 15 in 2023, while cases involving the gay community also increased from 22 to 30 year over year. However, reports from the transgender community decreased slightly from 10 in 2022 to nine in 2023.
The Hamilton Police Service implemented several initiatives last year to improve outcomes for hate crime victims, including engagement with community relations and hate crime case review teams, focus groups to identify concerns, and a “Hold Hate Crime” symposium that brought together police and community members. The police also have a hate crime dashboard providing real-time data and have expanded online reporting to include hate crimes. Police Chief Frank Bergen emphasized the importance of collaborating to ensure a coordinated response to support victims and address the underlying causes of hate crimes.
Overall, the report highlights the ongoing challenges faced by marginalized communities in Hamilton, particularly the Black, Jewish, and LGBTQ2 communities. It underscores the importance of continued efforts to address and combat hate crimes through community outreach, improved training, and collaboration between police and community members. By working together, the hope is to create a safer and more inclusive environment for all residents of the city.
