Hate crimes and violence are on a steady rise in the United States. One of the primary targets of hate crimes, both historically and even today, are places of worship, such as churches, synagogues, mosques and any center promoting the free practice of one’s religious beliefs.
Last November, the FBI revealed a 17% increase in reported hate crimes in the United States between 2016 and 2017.
In October 2018, a white supremacist opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, claiming the lives of 11 worshippers. June 17 will mark the four-year anniversary of when a white supremacist killed nine African American worshippers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
These attacks have placed faith leaders and local officials in major cities on high alert, including Fort Wayne which, to many, is fondly known as the “City of Churches.”
Indiana has not been immune to incidents of hate at places of worship. Last July, Congregation Shaarey Tefilla in Carmel was defaced with the painted images of two Nazi flags surrounded by an iron cross on each side.
The perpetrator pled guilty in May for conspiring to violate the civil rights of the congregation, and was sentenced to three years in prison on federal hate crime charges.
Fort Wayne mayor Tom Henry says the significant increase in hate crime activity around the nation has forced the city to think ahead.
“Historically, government has been very good at responding to a situation or being reactive when a situation occurs of a tragic nature," Henry said. "What we’re trying to do today is put Fort Wayne in a proactive position.”
Henry and Fort Wayne city officials shared bipartisan interest in supporting statewide hate crimes legislation. In October 2018 -- when Indiana was still one of five states to not have any hate crimes laws on the books -- three members of City Council drafted a resolution supporting harsher penalties for perpetrators of hate crimes.
During an October 2018 forum discussing the resolution, Fort Wayne NAACP president Larry Gist said just writing and supporting a generic “hate crime” bill isn’t enough; any measure the state passed needed to have teeth:
“Those who commit these crimes know they can get away with little more than a slap on the wrist if the hate crimes continue," Gist said.
"It is the responsibility of the government to record instances of all these hate crimes ensuring these people are protected against those who wish to harm because of the color of their skin, the religion they practice, their sexual orientation and whatever reason makes them different in their neighborhood.”
State lawmakers succeeded in passing hate crimes legislation and got it signed by Governor Eric Holcomb, but the bill remains controversial for excluding protections based on gender.
Ivy Tech’s Public Safety Academy hosted an afternoon seminar at the end of May on local and federal hate crimes, as well as the legal protections places of worship have under each.
The seminar was a collaboration between the City of Fort Wayne and U.S. Department of Justice, and was delivered to a capacity crowd of faith leaders and curious residents.
Assistant United States attorney Deborah Leonard offered an hourlong slideshow going through the history of federal hate crimes legislation dating back to 1988, and how laws have changed to provide greater protections for places of worship since then.
Leonard noted that much hate speech is protected under the First Amendment; a person saying they don’t like someone for one reason or another is a matter of opinion and cannot be prosecuted. However, once it becomes a threat to one’s civil rights, the federal government can react.
“In other words, it’s an actual speech. ‘I’m going to hurt you and this is how I’m going to do it.’ And it has to place a recipient who hears this in fear of bodily harm,” said Leonard.
Ken Bergeron is a senior conciliation specialist with the U.S. Department of Justice, and says much of his work is done near his main office in Chicago.
He told faith leaders and worshippers the most important thing to do in the aftermath of a tragedy, should one ever occur, is to take control the situation right away.
“Bring the community and religious leaders together, but be cautious in how you do that. Hold reconciliation dialogues, which sometimes gives people an opportunity to grieve publicly, and then limit outside interference,” Bergeron advised.
Bergeron added that it’s ultimately up to the community to determine the local response.
“You advise elected leaders on what happened, and tell them ways you want to bring calm.”
Henry adds that while the city and its law enforcement have to remain vigilant, it’s important for the community to have an idea of ways it could handle a tragic situation.
“Hopefully nothing will ever happen in our community, but hopefully after today if something were to happen, we would be in a better position to defend our houses of worship.”
