NJ sets record for bias incidents, with Blacks, Jews and Hispanics the frequent targets

Black, Jewish and Hispanic residents are the groups most targeted for bias incidents in New Jersey, said a report published Thursday by the state Attorney General's Office.

New Jersey set a record for reported bias incidents in 2022 and was on track to shatter that mark last year, according to preliminary statistics collected by law enforcement. The data also showed high levels of reported anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents amid the tensions of the Israel-Hamas war and a significant rise in bias incidents at K-12 schools and colleges.

"'Disturbing' is the word for it," Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a phone interview with The Record and NorthJersey.com. He attributed the increase to several factors, including improved reporting systems and outreach to communities that have previously been hesitant to contact authorities about such incidents. He also cited the lingering effects of the pandemic, a backlash against the Black Lives Matter movement and social media's impact.

Social media, Middle East conflict fuel bias

"You can get online and spread hateful content to millions of people with little recourse," Platkin said. "Social media companies have failed to live up to their own promises" to keep harmful content off their platforms.

The Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel also played a role in the rise in bias attacks, he added.

Platkin said he was particularly concerned about increasing harassment at K-12 schools and colleges. One in five bias instances was reported at an institution of higher education. "We saw it in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack," Platkin noted. "We put out guidance for all schools about how to respond. We notified them to be aware that if they don't create safe environments for kids we can hold them liable under the law. We provided schools with guidance on how to deal with bias incidents."

Media campaign, Bias Incident Dashboard unveiled

The Attorney General's Office said the state would launch an anti-hate media campaign later this year. It also announced an online Bias Incident Dashboard that will allow the public to search statistics down to the location of individual incidents and demographic information related to those reports.

"We've invested heavily in our enforcement efforts," he said. "Every single complaint filed in New Jersey gets funneled to a team that reviews it for criminal activity." The state charged 217 people with bias intimidation between 2021 and 2023.

The report tallied 2,211 incidents reported to New Jersey law enforcement agencies in 2022, easily beating the record of 1,885 set the previous year and marking the seventh straight annual increase. Preliminary statistics show that the number rose 22% again last year.

"These statistics paint a troubling picture, and the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia we have seen in recent months only amplifies these trends," said Sundeep Iyer, director of the state's Division on Civil Rights. "Make no mistake: There is no place for hate in our state, and we will continue to use every available resource to confront this challenge head-on.”

What is a bias incident?

Bias incidents are suspected or confirmed acts of intimidation that are motivated by a victim's race, color, ethnicity, national origin. religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, gender identity or gender expression. The offenses can include harassment, vandalism, assault, threats, arson and homicide.

Among the report's other findings:

• Black individuals were the most frequent targets of bias incidents overall in 2021 and 2022. The Jewish community was the religious group most frequently targeted, and the Hispanic and Latino community was the ethnic group most frequently targeted.

• Anti-Black bias was cited in 34% of all cases where a motivation was reported in 2023. Anti-Jewish animus was cited in 22% of the incidents.

• Preliminary data also reflected "notable increases" last year for reported anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias, which rose 75% and 70%, respectively, compared with the prior year.

• Reported incidents at colleges and universities more than doubled last year to 115, up from 53 in 2022. For K-12 schools, there was a 34% increase, to 603 reports last year.

The state said members of the public can report bias incidents to local police departments, or via the NJBIAS online portal at bias.njcivilrights.gov, or by calling 800-277-BIAS.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ bias incidents on track for record in 2023, state says