The California Department of Civil Rights knows that the state is facing a rising problem.
Between 2021 and 2022, the state has seen a rise in reported hate crimes—increasing more than 20 percent overall and reaching their highest levels since 2001.
“The whole spectrum of hate acts is extremely underreported,” Department Director Kevin Kish said. “Of course, people who experience hate crimes often report it to the authorities, but there are many cases of acts that would qualify as hate that people don’t know where to go.”
So when it launched the CA vs. Hate hotline in May of this year, the department also set out to work on ways to make sure everyone who is impacted by hate is aware of the tool they have access to.
Announced on Aug. 23, the new promotional campaign aims to get the word out about the hate hotline to as many groups as possible. The hotline accepts all reports of hate acts and is not limited to receiving messages that rise to the level of a criminal offense.
The hotline is the first of its kind for areas outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco, according to Kish, who said that the whole goal of the program was to bring big-city and state-level resources to everyone across the state.
“For folks who live in the bigger areas of California, there have been hotlines of this type, but never anything for places like Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo,” he said. “We want to use this hotline to offer a place to report hate acts but also understand how the state can assist communities affected by hate in the aftermath.”
The campaign aims to not only get the word out to more than 30 different outlets, but also encourage those groups to know they can safely—and more importantly, anonymously—report hate incidents and crimes to the hotline.
“Not only does the online option for reporting hate acts feature 15 different translation options, but the phone hotline has simultaneous translation options for 200 different languages,” he said. “In addition, you can also report anonymously—we wanted to make sure it was accessible to everyone who might be affected by these types of actions.”
More than anything else, Kish said he hopes people will take advantage of the hotline’s other services—primarily its role as a resource center.
“You won’t be calling the hotline just to report the incident and be done with it,” he said laughing. “We want to use the program to connect the caller with local resources to help handle the aftermath of these acts.”
These resources have already made a significant impact on the state’s rate of hate reporting and—just as importantly, according to Kish—have also succeeded in helping state officials understand what instances of hate are happening where.
He did note that while the hotline is meant for reporting hate, the department still wants to encourage people to contact the proper authorities for more severe cases.
While Kish acknowledged the hotline won’t necessarily solve every instance of hate, he has seen an increase in the use of it as a resource and connection to the Civil Rights Department’s other resources.
Ultimately the hotline is just one piece of the puzzle for addressing acts of hate on the Central Coast and throughout California as a whole. Kish said he’s hopeful that with more people aware of the program these issues can begin to subside.
“This is a broader attempt to address the rise in hate, no matter where you are in the state or what your background might be,” he said. “Hate affects far more than just the target individual—it affects the community around them as well, and if we can offer the tools to help communities heal and prevent further hate, then we are doing our part to fight this issue.”
Fast fact
• Help support local families affected by the fires in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, this week by contributing to help the Corpuel family in Arroyo Grande. The family owns the Cool Cat Cafe with locations on the island as well as in San Luis Obispo and Pismo. The family’s 120 employees on Maui lost their jobs, the ability to feed their families, and in some cases even their homes and vehicles to the fire. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up by the family for anyone who wants to donate. In addition, those who want to help can also donate directly through Splash Cafe—Cool Cat’s Cafe’s neighbor—where the contributions will be matched dollar for dollar. Visit gofundme.com/f/maui-fire-fund-for-cool-cat-captainjacks-staff to find more information and donate electronically. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas at arosas@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 31 – Sep 10, 2023.
