OCA Calls on States to Mandate Data Collection Following Release of 2020 FBI Hate Crime Statistics
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2021
Media Contact:
Andrew Peng, Communications Associate
andrew.peng@ocanational.org
Washington, D.C. — OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates called on state governments and law enforcement agencies across the country to mandate the data collection and reporting of hate crimes after the FBI released its annual Hate Crimes Statistics Act (HCSA) report on Monday, which revealed that the number of hate crimes in 2020 rose to their highest level in 12 years.
According to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the alarming data confirmed a sharp rise in attacks against Asian Americans—with reported anti-Asian hate crimes jumping from 161 to 274. But with thousands of self-reported hate incidents collected by community nonprofits over the past year, the FBI’s total appears significantly low.
The latest report also shows that the number of law enforcement agencies providing data to the FBI declined for a third year in a row. While President Biden signed legislation earlier this year aimed at improving hate crimes reporting, state and local law enforcement agencies continue to submit data to the Bureau on a voluntary basis.
“The FBI’s annual report remains our most reliable snapshot of hate crimes. However, the historic reporting gap continues to undermine its usefulness—and frankly, its credibility,” said OCA’s National President Linda Ng. “As long as law enforcement agencies are not required to collect and report hate crimes data to the federal government, the FBI’s statistics will fail to capture the true scope of violence, harassment, and assault against Asian American communities.”
“Without complete, mandatory state and local participation in the FBI’s data collection process, our understanding of anti-Asian hate crimes remains cloudy at best,” added OCA’s Deputy Executive Director Thu Nguyen. “Beyond that, law enforcement agencies need to step up and reach out to members of our communities that may be fearful to report hate incidents. That starts with having translated materials and procedures in place to serve non-English speaking immigrants, who currently struggle to access in-language resources.”
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, one of the nation's oldest Asian American civil rights organizations, has worked to combat anti-Asian violence since 1982 following the murder of Vincent Chin. OCA participated in a White House listening session on the surge in violence in March and its chapters continue to host regular training sessions to arm individuals with the tools to intervene as bystanders.
Last month, OCA launched an updated reporting site (aapihatecrimes.org) with researchers to study hate incident trends over time and collaborated with The Asian American Foundation on a rapid response toolkit containing updated safety resources to help officials, activists, community leaders, and members of the public to address anti-Asian hate. View the toolkit here.
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Founded in 1973, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven civil rights organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.