Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
Months later, the statistics collected by the FBI would show the reports coming into Stop AAPI Hate were no anomaly. The 2020 hate crime statistics showed 8,052 single-bias incidents involving 11,126 victims. These numbers are the highest since 2008 and showed an increase in crimes targeting Black, Asian, and Jewish individuals.
It is also highly likely that these numbers represent an incomplete count, in part because law enforcement agencies are encouraged to report these numbers but are not required to do so, and also because so many victims never come forward.
Among Jeung’s recommendations for addressing the reporting gap were to show how reporting makes a difference, recruit more FBI agents and personnel from diverse backgrounds, and use Asian-language media to encourage reporting. The professor was also able to explain the roots of racism against Asians and offer other suggestions for improving relationships.
“Many communities don’t always feel comfortable coming forward to law enforcement. That’s a big problem for us,” said Biebesheimer. “As investigators, we can’t do anything about the crimes we don’t know about. We have to get better.”
That commitment is echoed by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Daudshah Andish, the program coordinator for the Civil Rights Division in San Francisco. It’s why his squad assigned agents to be dedicated hate crime coordinators—and why he sees their work as an essential part of the FBI’s mission to defend civil rights.
“Hate crimes are not only an attack on the victim, but they also threaten and intimidate the entire community,” Andish said. “Everybody should be able to get out of their houses, enjoy the public spaces, and go about their business without any fear of violence or retribution.”