The Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church has begun a Hate Crime Data Collection Project, and has asked us to help by inviting our web site visitors to participate. Here is what their literature tells us:

From Ministry in the Midst of Hate and Violence -

All violent crimes are rephrehensible but there is a distinguishable difference in a hate crime. Not all Crimes are Hate Crimes.... A hate crime is identifiable in that it is committed against an individual or individuals because of the 'group' they represent.... Hate crimes are defined as illegal acts committed because of race, ethnicity, sexual preference, religious bigotry and there is an effort to include the category of disability.... Hate crimes rend the fabric of our society and fragment communities because they target a whole group and not just the individual victim....

We need your help! You can become a data collector for Ministries in the Midst of Hate and Violence.
      This project was envisioned because of the critical need to report on such crimes. It will include hundreds of church persons and groups, legislative offices and activists across the country. You can be a part of it. All you need to do is:

1. Clip home town newspaper articles
2. Make notes regarding television and radio reports

      All of this will allow us to accumulate and analyze the national problems and challenges which face us.
      Each clipping should have the name and date of the newspaper clearly printed on it. Ideally include the first page's 'mast-head' with name of the publication and the date. If you make notes about a radio or television report, give us a brief description of the incident and include the local/national network and reporter's name if possible, so that we can follow-up by phone.
      Please send information to:


To assist your collection, here is a list of hate crime categories:
MURDER: some targets are actually killed. They are shot, stabbed, lynched or beaten to death

SHOOTINGS: this involves actually wounding victims or shots fired into homes, churches or meeting places as well as gunshots used to intimidate victims.

ARSONS: sometimes perpetrators set fires in or bomb synagogues, churches, homes or organizational offices; autos are frequent targets. These events are often accompanied by racist graffiti.

ASSAULT: altercations involve beatings, hitting, slapping, torture and often are paired with racial, homophobic, or religious insults or attacks with weapons.

CROSS BURNINGS: cross burnings refer to those lit to intimidate victims and usually occur in front of homes or offices of organizations.

VANDALISM: these are property crimes and often involve trashing or defacing offices, homes, schools, autos, windows of stores, statues or churches, temples, and mosques. Looting, graffiti, spray painting insults or warnings, and smashed windows are common. These often occur when a family of color moves into a home on a 'white' street or in a 'white' neighborhood.

HARASSMENT: this category includes threats or verbal insults by mail, phone, e-mail or in person. It can involve bumping or shoving, displaying arms, banging on doors, death threats, etc.

HATE SPEECH: look for speeches and pronouncements by individuals or groups that perpetuate hate. First Amendment rights are at issue here but we would like to know what kind of statements are being made in your community that are meant to derail diversity and democracy.

HATE GROUPS: this includes reports of meetings and activities of such groups as the Ku Klux Klan, local militias, skinheads, etc. Many groups are local and many have names that are not nationally known, so again, please watch carefully.

*developed by The United Methodist Church's Ministries in the Midst of Hate & Violence in cooperation with the Center for Democratic Renewal.