By: Najla Alexander
NJ authorities announced today the launch of No Hate in the Garden State, a statewide campaign to raise public awareness about bias incidents and bias crimes, which target a protected status of the victim, such as race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.
In keeping with the Attorney General’s continued efforts to combat bias and hate, the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) developed the campaign in collaboration with the Division on Civil Rights (DCR), officials stated.
According to officials, No Hate in the Garden State will educate the public on the resources available to victims of bias incidents and bias crimes and will use television, print, radio, digital, and social media messaging to increase public awareness of incidents of bias and hate, encourage the reporting of such incidents, and prevent future incidents.
Officials say in addition to training sessions for law enforcement and victim services professionals, the campaign also includes more intensive direct training programs for educators, students, and parents in communities most affected by bias incidents.
The educational events will be designed to help better identify, report, charge, and prosecute bias crimes, authorities say.
“As our nation and state continue to grapple with an alarming rise in incidents of bias and hate, we must work together to ensure all our fellow New Jerseyans feel safe in their communities,” said Governor Phil Murphy.
“This is a problem that we must tackle head on – because nobody deserves to live in fear because of who they are. The No Hate in the Garden State campaign will be critical in our efforts to identify the sources of bias and intolerance and raise awareness about the tools available to report bias incidents, enabling us to take action to protect our residents and rid our communities of hatred.”
“Since 2018, reports of bias incidents and crimes have steadily risen throughout the nation, and New Jersey has been no exception. We will not, however, stand idly by in the face of this unacceptable trend,” said Attorney General Platkin.
“The No Hate in the Garden State campaign gives us the tools to educate the public and raise awareness about bias and how to report it when you see it. It will help us build stronger communities that can push back against bias when it occurs and foster the kind of New Jersey we all want to live in: a place of mutual respect, decency, and acceptance. We’re spreading the word far and wide: Hate has no place here.”
Across the nation and in New Jersey, bias incidents and acts of hatred have continued to increase in recent years, officials stated. According to the State’s recently-released Bias Incident Report 2021-2022, there were 2,211 bias incidents reported in 2022.
According to officials, this is a 53% increase over the 1,447 incidents reported in 2020. Combating this alarming trend has been one of Attorney General Platkin’s top priorities, encouraging agencies within the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety to develop strategies to that end.
DCJ has received over $1 million in federal grant funding to increase public awareness and to enhance the reporting of bias incidents and crimes, officials said. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program, a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program, awarded DCJ $300,000 to improve bias incident reporting.
The Collaborative Approaches Toward Preventing and Addressing Hate Crime-Demonstration Projects Program, another DOJ initiative, awarded DCJ $750,000 that is being used to support the public awareness campaign, officials say.
“I am really proud of the work we have done to create this campaign. It will help empower New Jerseyans to stop the rising tide of hatred and bias,” said J. Stephen Ferketic, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice.
“We don’t tolerate hate here in New Jersey, and now we’re equipping our residents with the tools to recognize acts of bias and hatred – and to know how to help us put a stop to it.”
“As bias incidents continue to rise across the country and across New Jersey, the statewide campaign launched today under Attorney General Platkin’s leadership comes at a critical moment in the fight against bias and hate. Now more than ever, we must continue to develop new ways to educate New Jerseyans about how they can stand up to hate they see in their communities,” said Sundeep Iyer, Director of the Division on Civil Rights.
“Combating hate takes all of us, and the No Hate in the Garden State campaign will help ensure that all New Jerseyans know how they can do their part.”
Authoriries say the Attorney General’s Office is coordinating with stakeholders from across the state to amplify the campaign.
“We are asking our partners, community groups, and each and every resident to help us spread the word by posting stickers, using graphics in their emails, having conversations, and demonstrating by example. Together we make sure there is No Hate in the Garden State,” concluded AG Platkin.
In March of this year, officials said, Attorney General Platkin also announced the launch of the Bias Data Dashboard, a critical tool in the Department of Law and Public Safety’s fight against hate.
Developed by the Office of Justice Data (OJD), the publicly accessible dashboard is searchable and interactive and provides visual displays of data related to reports of bias incidents, officials say.
The dashboard shows the locations of bias incidents, the motivations reported for those incidents, and demographic information relating to bias incidents, allowing for better targeting of No Hate in the Garden State billboards and ads, officials stated. 
“Since its launch earlier this year, the Bias Incident Dashboard has provided us – and the public – with a clearer picture of bias incidents in New Jersey, allowing us to direct resources to the places and people who need them most,” said Dr. Kristin Golden, Chief Data Officer for the Office of Justice Data.
“Information on the dashboard provides communities with valuable insight into patterns and trends in bias incidents, key elements needed to combat bias in New Jersey.”
Members of the public are encouraged to report bias incidents to their local police departments or via the NJBIAS online portal at https://bias.njcivilrights.gov or by calling 800-277-BIAS.