The Oregon Department of Justice’s Civil Right Unit today updated the Oregon legislature on the work of DOJ’s Bias Response and Sanctuary Promise Hotlines, sharing with the House Judiciary Committee that in the first 8 months of 2022 there has been a 55% increase in the number of reports to the Bias Hotline.
Each year the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) releases an annual report on the Bias Incident Hotline. The most recent report, released in July 2022, showed reports to the hotline were up 53% in 2021. Even more recent data tracked by the Oregon DOJ and analyzed by the CJC shows that reports are up 55% for the first part of 2022.
“Our Bias Response and Sanctuary Promise Hotlines are community resources that can help anybody who has experienced a bias crime or incident or need to report a possible violation of Oregon’s sanctuary laws,” said Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. “Oregonians value fairness and dignity, and all people should feel safe in their communities. No one should feel like they don’t belong in Oregon. Our hotline advocates are standing by in seven languages, and we are here to support you.”
In January 2020, the Oregon Department of Justice launched the Bias Response Hotline, which has fielded over 4,700 reports of hate and bias throughout Oregon. The Sanctuary Promise Hotline was launched in April 2022. Oregon’s longstanding sanctuary laws restrict state and local law enforcement from collecting, storing, or sharing information about a person’s national origin, immigration or citizenship status for the purposes of enforcing federal immigration law.
To further support victims of hate and bias, Oregon DOJ this year became the first state in the country to provide counseling benefits through the Crime Victims’ Compensation Program to anyone who has experienced a bias crime or incident, including a sanctuary bias incident. Victims can additionally apply for up to $1,000 in Emergency Monies for Bias Victims to help with safety, security, relocation, property repair, or other assistance in the aftermath of bias.
“We also want to thank the Oregon legislature for investing in—and supporting—these two extremely important statewide resources. Because of the legislature’s support, we have been able to hire bi- and multi-lingual advocates in the Central Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon and North/Central Oregon Coast. We are expanding our team and look forward to continuing to serve even more community members,” continued AG Rosenblum.
To contact the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Hotline:
In English: SanctuaryPromise.Oregon.gov 1-844-924-STAY (1-844-924-7829).
En Español: PromesaSantuario.Oregon.gov 1-844-6-AMPARO (1-844-626-7276).
To contact the Bias Response Hotline:
Contact the Bias Response Hotline at StandAgainstHate.Oregon.gov or 1-844-924-BIAS (2427) for questions or to apply.
Community members can report in any language, and the hotline accepts all Relay calls.