Mayor Durkan: Seattle ‘can and must do better’ to combat hate crimes
Feb 26, 2020, 12:59 PM | Updated: Feb 27, 2020, 10:29 am

(Alex Edelman/Getty Images)
(Alex Edelman/Getty Images)
Mayor Jenny Durkan signed an on Tuesday to combat hate crimes and crimes of bias in Seattle. The order requires more transparent and robust data sharing, and new grant programs to fund community-based organizations that are working to prevent hate crimes from occurring.
Hate crimes dramatically on the rise in Washington state
鈥淲e know that our city is not immune to the rising levels of toxicity and hate in our country,鈥 Durkan said. 鈥淏ut in Seattle, we know we can and must do better. We are leading with equity and a commitment to learn how the City can address the root causes of hate violence and make our city safer for our most vulnerable neighbors.鈥
Today I signed an Executive Order to combat hate crimes in Seattle. We know that our city is not immune to the rising levels of toxicity and hate in our country. But in Seattle, we can and must do better. Thank you to and for your leadership.
— Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny)
Reported hate crimes have risen across the nation and in Seattle, primarily impacting African American, LGBTQ+, Jewish, and Muslim individuals and communities.
According to a from the City Auditor, reports of hate crimes increased by 400 percent between 2012 and 2019.
Seattle sees 346 percent increase in reported hate crimes since 2012
鈥淓very person deserves to feel safe, free from harassment, and respected in Seattle,鈥 said Councilmember Lisa Herbold. 鈥淎s elected leaders, it鈥檚 our responsibility to take action, respond to hate crimes, and prevent future hate and bias crimes from happening.鈥