TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- The numbers are in and they're not looking good. According to the FBI, hate crime incidents are on the rise.
A hate crime is defined as an act to cause injury, emotional suffering, or property damage through harassment or vandalism motivated by race, religion, or sexual orientation. This kind of crime typically creates a hostile or offensive environment for the victims.
According to the FBI, the number of hate crimes in the United States has been on the rise since 2014, with over 6,000 instances of these crimes. Of those, about 1,500 people were victims of hate crimes motivated by religion, with Jewish and Muslim victims making up a majority of them.
It's though that the number of hate crimes could be decreased if we, as a whole, come together and learn about those around us.
"I think if you spend time with people from a different race, you're not so likely to be committing racial crimes," says Jack Campbell, the State Attorney of the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida. "I think if you spend time with people from a different religion, you're going to find there's more that binds us than separates us. I think that's where we need to make strides of spending time together and making those common bonds."
Campbell did tell me that he doesn't believe that the recent mass shootings like the one in Sutherland Springs are hate crime related, but that's not stopping local churches from taking action.
Faith-based leaders in Gadsden County are getting the opportunity to learn how to handle a mass shooter situation, with the first of two meetings happening Thursday. In early December, these leaders will have the chance to actually practice an active shooter drill.
