Reporting a Hate Crime?

Credible media reports are surfacing that White supremacists attacked people of color in the streets before, during and after the march on Saturday. Has this happened to you? What should you do about it? There is no single -- or simple -- way to report hate crimes in Oregon or in the Portland area.

• If you want a government official to create a document about your experience, plus perhaps come to your home and investigate it, you should start by reporting your hate crime to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Portland branch office, which can be reached at (503) 224-4181.
• The Portland Police Bureau’s procedure is short and sweet: “If you have been the victim of a bias crime assault or person crime, call 9-1-1.  If you have been the victim of a property bias crime, such as vandalism or graffiti, call the non-emergency line at (503) 823-3333.” 
• The Oregon Coalition Against Hate Crime is a group of civil rights organizations that pool their resources to create an independent list of incidents so the issue can be studied and publicized. Filing an item here does not bring an officer to your door. 
• The Oregon Department of Justice Hate Crime reporting form is another data tabulation tool rather than a personal law enforcement weapon. As the page says, “This form is intended to inform the Oregon Department of Justice about potential hate crimes. This is not a substitute for filing a police report with a federal, state or local law enforcement agency.”
• The Oregonian partnered with ProPublica starting last year to build its own list of reported hate crimes so that their staff journalists would have a stream of information to report on. 
• Basic Rights Oregon is a nonprofit advocacy organization with the best overall roundup of resources for reporting hate crimes and what to expect.