“Who cares about us?”: Insights and implications from survivors who reported hate crimes and incidents to organizations in Edmonton

Abstract

Reports of hate crimes in Canada increased by 72% from 2019 to 2021 (Moreau, 2022). Hate crimes have significant negative impacts on both those directly impacted and members of targeted communities (Erentzen & Schuller, 2020). Canadian research primarily focuses on the effects of hate crimes and their underreporting. However, there is little understanding of survivors' experiences when they report a hate crime or incident, and how organizations respond to these reports. I worked alongside Coalitions Creating Equity Edmonton (CCEE) using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach to address this gap. This study is guided by three research questions: What are the experiences of people who report hate crimes and/or incidents to organizations in Edmonton? How do individuals who have reported hate crimes and/or incidents experience organizational responses to these reports? What are the policy and practice implications of these experiences for organizations that respond to hate crimes and/or incidents? I conducted 20 interviews with 18 participants who reported a hate crime or incident to an organization in Edmonton over the past five years. Participants shared several insights. Firstly, how organizations respond to reports of hate crimes and incidents does not reliably meet the needs of people victimized by these occurrences and can significantly impact survivors. Secondly, understandings and experiences of hate crimes and incidents and how organizations respond to them are based in lived experiences of historical and ongoing systemic and societal discrimination. Thirdly, interpersonal relationships, existing knowledge and beliefs, and previous experiences influence the series of choices involved in reporting a hate crime or incident. We provide recommendations to address the implications of this research.