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Hate crime report shows little change in Pittsburgh area from 2015-16

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s latest report on hate crimes shows little change for the Pittsburgh area from 2015 to 2016.

According to the report, 14 hate crimes were committed in Pittsburgh last year, the same number committed in 2015.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said he expects that number to rise this year.

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"We've got more complaints. I don't know if the FBI's looked at the numbers this year, but it seems like there may have been a spike this year," Peduto said.

Jason Landau Goodman, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, believes the report does not accurately reflect the number of hate crimes, in part, because there’s no requirement for local police departments to cooperate with the FBI.

"We know that violence and assault is happening every day. So, we need these numbers to be able to accurately respond,” Goodman said.

Peduto pointed to several steps the city has taken to become more inclusive, whether it be through helping immigrants or the LGBTQ community. He said the numbers may not accurately reflect the progress.

He wishes everyone in Pittsburgh would subscribe to one simple lesson:  "We're all neighbors here. Even though someone's family may come from a different part of the world, it doesn't mean there should be comments or actions taken against them," Peduto said.
 
The FBI's report showed hate crimes rose nationwide for the second year in a row.

HATE GROUPS IN PENNSYLVANIA

The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks organized hate groups across the country. According to the group's website, there are 917 hate groups in the United States right now. 40 are active in the state of Pennsylvania.

You can see which hate groups are operating in your neighborhood by using their HATE MAP.
 

Cox Media Group

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