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U.S. Justice Department releases $5 million for hotlines to report hate crimes -Breaking

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© Reuters. FILEPHOTO: U.S. attorney general Merrick Grland answers questions at the Senate Appropriations Hearing on Commerce Justice Science and Related Agencies to discuss the Fiscal Year 2023 budget of Department of Justice.

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – Five million dollars will be released by the U.S. Justice Department to states in order to set up hotlines to report hate crimes. The announcement was made Friday after a massacre in Buffalo raised concerns over racially motivated violence within the United States.

Garland described several measures to increase reporting and prosecution for hate crimes. They reached their highest point in over a decade in 2020 (the most recent year available).

These figures do not include all states and localities. They are not required by the FBI to report hate crimes to them. The FBI defines a hate offense as an ordinary crime like vandalism, murder, arson or arson with an additional element of bias.

According to the FBI, three shootings in Buffalo, New York and Dallas are being investigated as hate crimes.

Criminologists believe that the shooters were inspired by past racist gun violence. The man accused in Saturday’s massacre at Buffalo was charged after posting a racist rant online. He then killed 10 Black people.

Garland stated that the Justice Department will also issue guidelines to raise awareness on hate crimes, and another $5 million will be released for community-based strategies. These measures were made possible by the legislation President Joe Biden approved a year earlier.

“We will employ every legal tool to fight hate crimes in the community.”

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