Hate in the West is a difficult thing to track and quantify. It can be seen in incidents like the Portland, Oregon, train murders in May, or the coalescing of hate groups in places like California’s Bay Area. But federal and state data on hate crimes and bias incidents is lacking, which makes it hard to know if it’s increasing, where it happens, and who it is happening to.
That’s why High Country News is partnering with ProPublica’s Documenting Hate project, along with several hundred other newsrooms; to more accurately track and report on hate crimes, as well as acts such as bias incidents, harassment and intimidation that may not meet the legal definition of a crime.
In the past, High Country News has written stories about hate in the West, such as white supremacists in Montana, the murder of two Northern Arapaho men in Wyoming, as well as our ongoing coverage of hate groups linking with public lands extremists. Through this partnership, we hope to shed light on corners of the West that are no less important to document than the loss of endangered species and the impact of natural resource extraction on Western landscapes. Indeed, these things are all entwined and deeply rooted in the West’s history.
If you or someone you know has witnessed or been the victim of a potential hate crime, bias incident or harassment, we ask that you fill out the encrypted form below. High Country News reporters, along with partner newsrooms, will verify submissions, and will not publish or otherwise share any submitted names or contact information with anyone outside the project without permission.
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