DALLAS, TX (1080 KRLD) - The FBI and City of Dallas have dedicated two murals that aim to increase awareness of hate crime. Mayor Eric Johnson declared Monday "FBI Dallas Hate Crimes Awareness Day."
"We have to amplify those messages that increase tolerance and increase understanding," he says.
The FBI first launched an awareness campaign last fall with billboards and advertisements. In 2020, 8,052 hate crimes against 11,126 people were reported across the United States, the most since 2008.
"We have not been immune to that cancer that's been increasing in our country," Johnson says, citing the Colleyville synagogue shooting and string of shootings at Asian-owned businesses in Northwest Dallas in May.
"There's certainly no place in this country for hate and intolerance and absolutely no place for it here in Dallas," says Matt DeSarno, FBI special agent in charge of the Dallas field office.
DeSarno says many hate crimes are not reported either because the victim previously lived under an "authoritarian regime" or fears deportation.
"What we're here to say is we are here to investigate all acts of hate," he says. "Regardless of the victim's national origin or immigration status, they will be treated as a victim, not as a suspect."
DeSarno says the biggest increases in hate crimes have been against African Americans, Asian Americans and members of the Jewish community.
"Hate itself is not a crime, and the FBI is mindful about protecting the freedom of speech and other civil liberties," he says. "However, hate crimes attack victims, threaten and intimidate entire communities."
The murals are located at 200 S. Tyler Street in Dallas and the Katy Trail underpass pillar on Cedar Springs between Carlisle and Turtle Creek.
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