Here ainley have berthing support the patient to have been Opening Statement and then to introduce the first panel with vr done the Senate Judiciary committee is holding a hearing will entitle their responses to the increase of religious hate crimes it is from great bipartisan interest with religious hate crimes to have a great impact on the community. Many of these crimes never would have been committed but for hatred. Run counter to americas values such as religious freedom and americans have the right for those that would treat them as members of religious groups the religious hate crimes on the riots bottles common religious hate crimes against muslims to the fastestgrowing category by have been contacted fear of practicing once religion should never happen in this country. This has been growing for some time and it is not new. We will confront antisemitism and condemns hatred to bear witness an act. With these statements with Government Action dating back to George Washington wrote to a synagogue in rhode island that the government does the United States with persecution and it is necessary to be protected against those who commit the awful hate crimes in a need to be deployed to houses of worship of necessary. Such did have the First Amendment establishment clause to prevent any government assistance that has a religious entity to reconsider those views. For instance the Supreme Court and whether the state could prohibit a religious institution from receiving government grants that is available to secular entities. Justice and legal asked about a Grant Program such an existing federal program to have hardened Nonprofit Organization facilities to be at a high risk for terrorist attacks. So with the entire muslim group and the missouri those that have from the court from justice toledos so it is astonishing to me they responded know the missouri constitution would not not even on a neutral basis so the safety of buildings but we cannot lose sight that they are with the establishment clause should not be forbidden for those practicing their religion i believe religious hate crimes require a government of nova response of Financial Assistance to the facilities that are targets and hope the Supreme Court decided to a ruling against those attacks that our due to other organizations we will hear from the Justice Department on the efforts under way for religious hate crimes to hear about civilrights and how to address that and also from a brave and victim of religious hate crime and violence for to the testimony. Thank you for calling the hearing it is an important topic and it goes to one of the core values we pride ourselves with a unique and diverse society. With different creeds or collars or ethnicities to be a United Country and into this creeps a suspicion so the topic today is religious hate crimes and i think it does not matter if it is a hate crime based on one religion or race or any other element even of a focus of one part of this witches religious hate. Into help state and local government address hate crimes i want to make clear bond local level each Community Faces their own unique challenge when it comes to racial and religious bias. I look back at my time over 80 years antoninus a county supervisor and as the mayor. I remember when the swastika was painted on the synagogue i got on the phone call the chief of police and say you looked at it you have people do something about it, and i made a strong Public Statement that this would not be tolerated in my city purpose same thing happened with other kinds of crimes because of who they are their religion or race whether straight or gay. It is important to address it to say me will not allow it for the leaders not to shrink. So this is a start so everybody here understands and wants to create a different society. According to the Antidefamation League there are reports of 541 incidents in the first four months of this year. That is an increase of 86 compared to those recorded over the same period the year before. 380 harassment incidents with 161 bomb threats within increase of 127 . The bomb threats were called into more than 80 Jewish Community centers and those located in 33 states with two canadian provinces. One day, february 27, there were 31 threats call then to 23 Jewish Community centers or state schools 31 bomb threats in a single day. A spark a tremendous fear thankfully they have arrested the men responsible and nobody was injured or killed. Hate crimes have also increased at the alarming rate that includes horrific murders of a leg to draw your attention to a map that shows a recent incident tracked by the advocates from a leader on the topic and you can see where they are concentrated. I found that very interesting as well 254 separate incidents since of lumber 14 through that president november 14th through the present. They hate groups tripled in 201634 up at 101 muslim hate groups year. Simile the fbi hate crime data also captured a sharp increase during the same period according to research a crimes increased 70 attacks on perceived muslims rose sharply. It is incumbent to condemn the crimes with race or religion and in my view to do in part to the perception that people in positions of power are in different to what is happening with the protection of the rights of all americans and those be cow. And we have to make clear pate has no place in these crimes will be investigated the seriousness will be taken into consideration. To ensure they have the support and resources that they need with the victims that the federal support that the Justice Department needs to provide. The federal government must improve the reporting of hate crimes because it increases awareness but it is inadequate today. If we do have an accurate picture is much harder for justice and fbi to address the problem. Requiring the fbi to collect eight crime data with those deadlines for state and local lawenforcement. The quality of the data has improved the Justice Department revised the report to collect data against arab or mome mormon or jehovahs witness or Orthodox Christian individuals. Twentysix requested the change but we can and must do better many still dont report hate crimes to the fbi wide atypically before between five and 10,000 he crimes, the true number may approach 300,000 which is 30 times the estimation. I just introduced of bill to update the arson bill with the intention of making a religious property. If somebody goes to another church to right threatening graffiti it has an impact on a wide range of people in has to be taken very seriously. Money holocaust survivor and nobel laureate. Sometimes in human lives are in danger and dignity is in jeopardy the become irrelevant. Whenever they are persecuted because of race or religion or political view that must become the center of the universe. Seventyfour working with us. I will not introduce our first witness, a special counsel for religious discrimination in the Civil Rights Division of the department of justice i recognize you for five minutes if you have a longer statement for the record five dont cut anybody up but when that happens please summarize. Good morning. Thanks for holding this hearing to discuss the important topic to focus on religion and hate crime. Tom wheeler cannot be here due to a family emergency the attorneygeneral making one of his Top Priorities hate crimes are serious problem that messy part of the National Effort to reduce Violent Crime this is the case because first it makes of 4 percent of Violent Crime in america these are crimes meant to intimidate and terrorize communities were concerned about ourselves of families but when they are targeted they experience something on top of this the concern that they will stand out in some way President Trump in the first address to congress spoke of the threats of the Jewish Community centers as well as the two indian men in kansas city to say we are a country that stands united to condemn hate and people in all forms. So with the largest category religious based is the second as a concerning trend unifying unified crime report included a 67 rise in hate crimes or jewish eight crimes the department of justice bin is committed to prosecuting these cases we charged a man in israel is making threats to Jewish Community centers in the United States. Also another was arrested and last to burn down a mosque. The department had the Death Penalty against dell in for the killing of beat the worshipers during a bible study in south carolina. These are powerful laws to bring the resources to bear in to provide resources with houses of worship the we can bring in the atf raid the fbi to find and pursue the perpetrators of those policies in place with the partners with the efficient and effective manner in rica always get better and we must do better. That is why the attorney general has made the hate crime subcommittee of the Violent CrimeTask Force One of the pillars of the effort it will hold a summit on Violent Crime the following week the hate crime subcommittee will hold an additional one day summit focusing on identifying and preventing hate crime. And how to best produce a crime in america. The senate and the subcommittee are focused on the incomplete hate crime data. So this is part of a conversation going for word. Politically deal with if we fully understand it also working on ways to improve training and outreach through the language or cultural barriers that is critical to the success of any program to combat hate crime. Acting assistant attorney general and i can attest to the importance of communication for us says the government to hear what is going on in but we can do better to let the Community Know the area is getting help i think you for the dialogue you are facilitating an accord to half your question. If thank you covered my first question when the summit this so important to get some ask you to elaborate further. The idea not just to bring the expertise from the components of doj Civilrights DivisionCommunity Relations but never saw kennedys racial communities representing elegy bt and those of a year doing well or not doing well Data Collection and what we can do to make that better tractor komi talked about the longterm plan to migrate but also the several years before that is fully implemented. For anyone to say just a listening session but we want to hear from the experts and local Law Enforcement from the communities about what we should be doing. With second question is asking for examples of religious hate crime and administration that some are probably carried over i dont expect you to give us a long list now buchanan supplemented with the some written material. That is outlined in the written testimony i just highlighted a few tattoos minnesota senators here on march 8 a judge sentenced of a case that we brought to 12 months in prison with a threat to blow up the mosque and bakersfield california april 10 there is a 15 year sentence for a man who fired a shot gun toward a latino family then fired at pay middle eastern million at a convenience store. And mention this because we found people that hate are not discriminating. They are angry at muslims or middle easterners or anybody who looks different. We think of that as a general problem that we need to address into have a case to receive a guilty plea from a man who threatened grotius store owners in Orlando Florida that they had 30 days to close the store or be attacked that is the kind of violence so when they are attacking them because of the race and to move into the neighborhood of their choice that protects the underlying civil rights of society. So is their religious freedom cases over many years those that our religious hate crimes is it your experience that is on the rise . Nonsense of president ial election those that they witnessed in previous administrations hate crimes are a perpetual problem in society. So it is a problem we have been battling for many years. We have seen a trend in the data with a rise the year before we dont have the data but i can say we have many referrals that are coming in from your taking the problem very seriously tearing our resources added in the attorney general believes and will aggressively pursue new hate crime. What i am bothered by is the statistics dont really give the right situation. For example, the fbi typically reports between 7,000 and 10,008 crimes in with the estimation in to be nearly tripled between 2004 and 2012 how do you account for the discrepancies . Senator it is on to different methodologies i do agree the fbi undercounts headed accounts actual instance where a Police Officer in the field received a reported case maybe prosecution or not but includes that as a hate crime minos some states are better than others. Those expected 1400 more. Yes senator. One thing we did last summer. And we expect to do it again is to reach out to over 94 us attorneys. And give them a list of what cities in their district are not reporting hate crimes and get them in their normal interactions with their mayors and say this is some you can help us with. So we have to read with those us attorneys. Tells whose only hate crimes subcommittee of the task force on crime reeducation and Public Safety. Who is on this and what is the committee supposed to accomplish . Typically it is chaired by the acting attorney for civil rights. Representatives from the fbi hate crimes unit, other components of fbi, city relations and service. A wide range. It is all doj. Doj coming together and talk about what there is we have and then going out of the summit to hear from the community from experts. Maybe that is a good place to start. To really try and see if this cant be infused nationally with local people who are there and know their populations who when they stand up, hopefully, they listen. As opposed to some remote source in the federal bureaucracy. Cell i mean that is what i would hope this committee would take a look at doing. That is involving local leaders and encourage them to take a position. I have found that where local leaders step up, and we are not going to tolerate this it does make a difference. Senator i think that is a very good idea and ill take that back. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you for this important hearing today. It is right for people to believe what they want to and exercise some of the nations foundational and fundamental principles. That said there is troubling hate crimes in the us and throughout the world. Some of the recent examples include the more than 100 bomb threats made in Jewish Community centers throughout the country. As well as the vandalism of jewish cemeteries in st. Louis, philadelphia and other cities. In response to all of these hate crimes the president addressed the issue during a joint session of congress when he said quote we may be a nation divided on policies, but we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil and all of its very evil forms. The Vice President also denounced these acts of religious intolerance when he said there is no place in america for hatred or acts of antisemitism. For someone whos own finer ancestors were persecuted and driven from their homes, forced to settle down on the mountain was because of their beliefs. I agree that america must not tolerate religiously motivated hate crimes or any hate crimes for that matter. Yesterday i was joined by my friend the Ranking Member and introducing the protecting religiously affiliated institutions act. I want to thank senator feinstein for joining me in offering this bill which would expand the Church Arson Prevention act to criminalize the threats made to intentionally deface, damage or destroy any religious property or to threaten, obstruct, by force or threat the enjoyment of someones enjoyment of free exercise of their religious beliefs. In the coming weeks the senate will consider and pass this as a demonstration of our commitment to the united against evil and hate. With that i just have a few questions. Let me ask you this. Can you please share what the department is doing to promote religious liberty of all people in this country . Thank you senator. One of the things that we are focuseds aggressive enforcement of the religious land use and institutionalized act. It is widely sponsored with senator kennedy in the senate and has done a great deal to expand religious liberty of all people. One of the things we have seen in recent years since 2010, is a rise in the number of antimuslim cases. Some cases where someone opposes a Muslim School are embossed. Does make up about 37 percent of our investigations. Muslims make up 1 to 2 percent of the population. We have right now, one case that we resolved in march and three that are ongoing involving mosques. We have these involving many different communities of faith. And their ability to construct places of worship and we continue to aggressively pursue these cases. Many are concerned that in the country are not accurate. Many jurisdictions do not fully participate in reporting the activities. In those crimes. So i am very concerned about that too.