Hate crimes against one member of our community are an assault against all of us. Those who target victims because of their race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, disability, gender or sexual orientation will be aggressively prosecuted. The Sacramento District Attorney’s Office has a long history of aggressively prosecuting hate crime. Over 25 years ago, our office established a Hate Crimes Unit, assigning specialized prosecutors to combat these unique crimes.
Over the last decade, this country has seen a significant rise in hate crimes, and the offenses have become more violent. More recently, hate incidents and hate crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander community has seen an increase, especially in large cities.
It is critically important that law enforcement, legislators, elected officials and community leaders work together to prevent hate crimes, assist victims and hold those accountable who are prosecuted and convicted. It is also critically important that those who are victims of both hate incidents and hate crimes report those to law enforcement. Through diligent reporting, law enforcement can more effectively investigate, prosecute and combat these incidents.
In addition to prosecuting these offenses, my office regularly attends safety events that focus on educating community members on how to keep themselves and their family safe. We also continue to conduct outreach in our communities by providing educational outreach to students, faculty, law enforcement, and community organizations. Our goal is to educate our community so people can protect themselves from bias-motivated violence.
The Sacramento District Attorney’s Office will continue fighting hate crimes in our community.
