An Oregon hotline for people to report instances of hate and bias saw fewer reports last year, the first documented drop in its six-year history.
The Bias Response Hotline received 2,726 tips in 2024 about bias, which can encompass incidents like pride flags being torn down, nooses left on doorsteps and in schoolyards, and vandalism of books written by Black, brown and queer authors.
That volume is 7% fewer than the 2,932 reports the hotline received in 2023. The Oregon Department of Justice released its annual report Tuesday.
“Bias incidents and crimes commonly target individuals with certain visible traits and this targeting often cause ripples of harm, violating an entire group or community’s sense of safety and belonging,” the report authors wrote.
Prior to this year, reports rose every year since the hotline’s first report in 2020. The report cautions that the decline could be attributed to underreporting, rather than an actual decrease in bias incidents.
“This tapering off … should not be interpreted as an indication of a decline in bias crimes and incidents,” the report said.
The decline isn’t consistent across demographic groups, the report said. While there were fewer reports of bias against people of color, reports rose when concerning victims who are female, white, Asian or older than 60 years old.
The hotline was created by lawmakers six years ago to help victims of bias incidents. The hotline receives reports of both crimes and non-crimes and publishes its data every year.
Unlike previous years, hotline staff reported being subjected to harassment and spam, including “incoherent, gibberish emails.” Hotline staff were “inundated” with time-consuming spam reports.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.