According to a recent LA County Hate Crime report, 72% of hate crimes are of a violent nature, 57% of hate crimes are racially motivated, and African Americans are the most grossly over-represented group of hate crime victims at 53%. It also must be noted that "nearly half of all violent hate crimes are not reported" and "we can expect that an even greater portion of hate incidents and nonviolent hate crimes are not reported."
From this 2022 report, we can see that hate crimes are actively prevalent and in some categories, rising. Using restorative justice-based mediation, both the person(s) causing the harm and the person(s) who has been harmed can come to a place of genuine healing, accountability, and growth.
Hate crimes can cause real, long-lasting hurt to the person or people affected by it. Through restorative justice-based mediation, the person or people that have been harmed receive support from a trained mediator, and any additional community support that they may need in their corner (local pastor, neighbor, or community leader).
Read about an example of this type of mediation from a past CYS blog post here.
Through both written reflection and in-person reflection, the person or people that caused harm will reflect on their actions, the steps that led them up to carrying out those actions, and the feelings associated with that process. Within the mediation process, trained mediators are able to facilitate the conversation in a direction that promotes openness and honesty.
The additional community support or the person or people that were harmed are able to express, from their perspective, how those actions made them feel and the harm that it caused to them and their greater community. By the end of the mediation process, the group can come to a consensus on appropriate restitution to further repair the harms that were caused. This can include apology letters, community service, counseling, and/or continued education into the history of hate crimes and their effects.
If you would like to learn more about the current state of hate crimes in LA County, check out the most up-to-date report here. If you are interested in joining CYS as a volunteer mediator to be able to support in important harm repair, visit our site here to learn more.