‘Normalize reaching out for help’: Oregon DOJ, Bend-La Pine Schools address rise in reported bias incidents

(Update: adding video, comment from Oregon Department of Justice, Bend La-Pine Schools)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon's Department of Justice just launched a “You Belong.” Campaign after becoming the first state in the nation to provide a hotline for those affected by a bias-related crime. That greater awareness and reporting tool likely plays a major factor in a significant rise in reports of such incidents in recent years, including in Bend-La Pine Schools.

Fay Stetz-Waters, director of civil rights and social justice for the Oregon DOJ, told us Thursday, “It will be a three month long campaign awareness campaign that we're launching to help promote awareness of our Bias Response Hotline, as well as the available resources that we have for folks who have experienced hateful biasm based on their protected class here in Oregon.” 

Stetz-Waters says the hotline has seen a 25% increase in reports from 2022 to 2023, and a 229% increase since its inception in 2020, created after passage of Senate Bill 577.

“What gets reported to the hotline is really the tip of the iceberg," she said. "Most people do not report some hostile expression that was made to them, some bias incident or even a hate crime. They just don't report it.”

Stetz-Water tells NewsChannel 21, despite not everyone reporting such incidents, those who do will be connected to resources, including a trained trauma professional, an emergency fund if damage was caused in the crime, and legal professionals, if individuals want to take legal action.

Deschutes County had 145 reports in 2023, 4% of reports made to the hotline, down from 235 reports in 2022.

Kinsey Martin, executive director of policy advocacy and equity for Bend-La Pine Schools, said, "We are seeing that we have racial bias, we've got anti-LGBTQ bias, we've got some bias on the basis of religion or disability and several other categories as well that we need to address as a system."

Martin tells NewsChannel 21 race-based bias makes up 36% of cases in the most recent report, while gender-based bias made up 25% of the reports.

Bend La Pine Schools created a similar bias reporting system as the Oregon Department of Justice in 2019 and says that reports have increased over the last five years.

"You might look at and think, 'Yikes, that means there's more and more incidents happening,'" she said. "But what we actually think that's telling us is that there's more awareness of the reporting tool as we've been rolling it out."

In 2024, so far there have been 407 reported bias incidents in the school district. Most of the cases, 194 of the total, came from middle schoolers, and are most commonly reported by staff.

Once a report is made, the district educates the offender, and the student affected by the incident is supported by a professionally trained equity staff.

As for the reported offender, Martin said, "We work to make sure they understand why their actions or their words caused harm."

The school district believes the conversation around bias is a school conversation, but also one for the broader community to engage in. 

"It's often a reflection of our community and and the adult values and interactions that we have as parents, as neighbors," Martin said. "So it's important that we we all engage in this and we all reflect on the data."

Bend La-Pine Schools has worked with the Department of Justice on addressing bias and share similar goals. 

Stetz-Waters said, "The impact here is to normalize, like I said, normalize reaching out for help, realizing you are not the only one in the situation, that there are government resources that have been allocated for this purpose to support you. “

Earlier information:

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Amid an " alarming and escalating trend of bias-related crimes and incidents," the Oregon Department of Justice Civil Rights Unit this week kicked off its “You Belong.” campaign, a statewide multimedia public outreach effort to increase the awareness of Oregon’s Bias Response Hotline.

The culturally and linguistically inclusive campaign will deploy six public service announcements in three languages (English, Mandarin, and Vietnamese); radio ads; social media ads in seven languages; billboards in Portland, Gresham, Beaverton and Medford; and a social media influencer campaign.

In 2018, in response to spikes in hate crimes across Oregon, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum convened a task force on hate-motivated crimes and incidents. Guided by their insights and experiences, AG Rosenblum championed the passage of 2019’s Senate Bill 577. The bill passed, defining bias crimes and incidents in Oregon, and establishing resources to respond to the rise in hate crimes and bias incidents in our state.

SB 577 also established the Oregon Bias Response Hotline, the first of its kind in the nation. In 2020, Oregon DOJ’s Civil Rights Unit launched the Hotline, a confidential, non-emergency line staffed with multilingual advocates trained to provide trauma-informed support and accessible in over 240 languages.

“Every Oregonian should feel like they belong here, but acts of bias and hatred rob people of that sense of belonging. To anyone who has experienced acts of hatred and bias, you are not alone. You belong.” said AG Rosenblum.

Data from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission’s public data dashboard underscores the alarming and escalating trend of bias-related crimes and incidents. The Bias Response Hotline has registered a 25% surge in reports from 2022 to 2023, and a staggering 229% increase since its inception in 2020.

With a focus on safety, support, and options for survivors, the Bias Response Hotline also collects data to inform policymakers, law enforcement and the community about the extent of bias incidents and hate crimes in Oregon. This data-driven approach fosters inclusive environments by prioritizing communities impacted by inequity and implementing measures that uphold the dignity and humanity of every individual.

“Bias and discrimination inflict enduring wounds on individuals and often disrupt the sense of safety and belonging within entire communities,” said Fay Stetz-Waters, DOJ Director of Civil Rights and Social Justice. “Reporting empowers us all to combat hate. Together, we can cultivate an Oregon culture where bias and discrimination have no place.”

The Civil Rights Unit encourages anyone who has experienced or witnessed discrimination, a bias incident, or hate crime to report to the statewide confidential hotline, especially those who fall under Oregon’s protected classes based on their race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The Bias Response Hotline provides support and next step options for people targeted in hate crimes or bias incidents. Call or chat with an advocate at 1-844-924-BIAS (2427); all Relay calls accepted; advocates return all messages left after-hours; submit a web report any time at StandAgainstHate.Oregon.gov.

The Civil Rights Unit is grateful to work with the marketing firm Early PR and the translation/transcreation firm Pasa Language Solutions to develop the campaign.  Special thanks to the BIPOC Caucus of the Oregon Legislature for supporting funding for this campaign.

To read this press release in Spanish, click here.