Antisemitism and hate continue to be an issue in Austin. If you see a crime in progress, call 911 right away. If there is no immediate threat, police suggest calling 311 and be sure to tell them it may be a hate crime. See below for more details.
Our community continues to experience incidents of antisemitism and hate throughout the city. This has so far included hateful stickers at parks and on school buildings, graffiti displaying hateful messages on school property, and flyers distributed in neighborhoods. During Hanukkah, Jewish families also reported smashed windows when displaying their menorah. On December 19, we once again received reports that antisemitic flyers were found on NW Austin driveways. ATXKind has been meeting with city and police leaders who suggest the following if you are the victim of a hate incident...
If you witness or experience a hate incident that includes acts of violence or threats:
Call 9-1-1 immediately if the violence or threat is active, ongoing or if it just happened. Make sure you mention that what you are witnessing or experiencing is a hate crime.
If there is no immediate threat, call 3-1-1. You will get a service request number, and police will return your call to take a report. Make sure you report the incident as a “hate crime” or "bias-motivated crime." Please be aware that calls from police will show up as "unknown" numbers and that you must follow up in order for the report to count.
If you witness or experience an act of hate speech. This can include verbal, non-verbal or written communication:
Call 3-1-1. You will get a service request number, and police will return your call to take a report. Make sure you report the incident as a “hate crime” or "bias-motivated crime." Please be aware that calls from police will show up as "unknown" numbers and that you must follow up in order for the report to count.
In all cases, make sure to report the incident to the Anti-Defamation League:
Report the incident to ADL here: adl.org/reportincident
It is very important to report all hate and bias incidents and crimes. Under-reporting leads to inaccurate statistics. Moreover, it allows suspects to continue their behavior. ATXKind is here to support and help victims and witnesses of hate crimes and incidents. You can contact us here.