Maryland awarded grant to combat hate crimes

(The Center Square) – Maryland will receive a Department of Justice grant to combat hate crimes across the state, an official said.

Attorney General Brian Frosh announced the state will receive an $833,334 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance that will be utilized for creating a collaborative and comprehensive effort to address hate crimes and hate bias incidents.

“All Maryland citizens and visitors have a right to live without fear that they will be attacked or targeted because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender,” Frosh said in a news release. “This grant will allow my office to lead a comprehensive effort to train law enforcement agencies and engage partners to identify and respond to hate crimes. We will not allow hate to spread unchecked within our communities.”

According to the release, hate crimes and related incidents have risen sharply nationwide since 2016, and Maryland has experienced a significant increase during that time.

The state reported a total of 382 hate bias incidents to state law enforcement in its State of Maryland 2020 Hate Bias Report. Many were related to race, religion and sexual orientation, according to the release.

The state averaged 381 hate bias incidents each year from 2018-2020, according to the report. While fewer incidents were reported in 2020 than in the previous year, 22.3% of incidents in 2019 were verified, compared with 29.1% of incidents verified in 2020.

Despite expanding and enhancing the state’s hate crime laws, according to the release, law enforcement officials around the state continue to engage with community-based groups in order to seek justice for victims through prosecution but still are facing challenges.

Frosh said the grant will fund a three-year effort to create a Hate Crimes Task Force, develop a statewide hate crime web portal, conduct regional hate crime summits and train law enforcement and prosecutors on hate crimes and hate bias incidents.

The Hate Crimes Task Force will be made up of law enforcement, civil rights agencies and community-based organizations, according to the release.

Frosh said the grant application was conducted by Zenita Hurley, who serves as chief counsel for civil rights in the office of attorney general. The office, according to the release, will hire an assistant attorney general and program manager for the task force and oversee development of the web portal and summits.

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