Ottawa police say that hate crimes rose by almost 24% in the first half of 2023
People from groups that are often targeted in hate crimes in Ottawa say they are not surprised to hear that they are happening more often.
On Friday, police in Ottawa said that the number of hate crimes reported in the city rose by almost 24% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same time last year.
So far in 2023, police say that Jews (36 incidents), LGBTQ people (32 incidents), and Black people (30 incidents) have been most often targeted, followed by Chinese (eight incidents) and Muslims (seven incidents).
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Nearly 24% more hate crimes are reported in Ottawa, police say.
From the first half of last year to the first half of this year, there were more than twice as many incidents against LGBTQ people.
Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, who is the executive director of the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, works with both the Black and LGBTQ communities in the city.
She said that the numbers reflect both what she hears from people and what Statistics Canada says about the country as a whole.
“It’s just sad to see that reality portrayed on the local side,” Owusu-Akyeeah said. “I know that probably doesn’t tell the whole story, but it’s still very alarming.”
‘Tip of the iceberg
People in the Black and LGBTQ communities are especially worried that they don’t report enough hate crimes because they don’t trust the police.
Owusu-Akyeeah said, “I think what worries me more is how many people didn’t report.”
“How many people are going through certain levels of violence because of who they are, are too afraid to go to the Ottawa Police Service to tell them about it, and are dealing with it on their own?”
Fae Johnstone, president of the Society of Pure Momentum and a trans advocate in Ottawa, said that the same is often true for the LGBTQ community.
“Every time the police give us information about underrepresented groups, we know it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Johnstone said.
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs said that the numbers only show a small part of how much hate there is in the community. He said that he thinks it’s important to build trust with those communities so that people feel safe going to the police.
It’s ‘exhausting’ to report hate crimes
Idan Scher, the rabbi at Congregation Machzikei Hadas, said that he thinks there are also hate crimes that don’t get reported in the Jewish community. This isn’t because Jews don’t like the police, but because it’s up to the victim to report hate crimes.
“It’s a lot of work,” he said. “It takes time and energy, when all we want to do is move on with our lives.”
He said that the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board had been told about a number of antisemitic incidents at schools, and he praised thePutting in place a Jewish equity coachTo try to fight against the hate.
But he said that society as a whole needs to do more to educate people and cut down on the number of hate crimes in the city.
Owusu-Akyeeah, Johnstone, and Scher all agreed that increasing polarization in society and an online environment that they think makes people more likely to act out in the real world could be to blame for the rise in hatred.