Gov. Wolf Joins Commemoration of the Holocaust, Highlights Work to Reduce Hate Crimes

At the moment, Governor Tom Wolf joined the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition and state and native leaders on the thirty eighth Annual Civic Commemoration of the Holocaust in Harrisburg. The ceremony included the popularity of Holocaust survivors, in addition to the kids and grandchildren of survivors.

“The Holocaust was a monstrous, horrific interval in human historical past,” mentioned Gov. Wolf. “An immense evil perpetrated not by one extraordinary monster, however relatively constructed on a basis of bias, discrimination, hatred, and bigotry that’s all too human, and all too acquainted even these many many years later.

“In memorial, we honor that heartbreaking, indescribable loss. And we remind ourselves that on daily basis, all of us share a duty to protect in opposition to hate, to talk out in opposition to discrimination, and to take motion to finish violence.”

Pennsylvania and the nation have skilled a rise in hate crimes over the previous a number of years. In keeping with information from the Pennsylvania State Police Uniform Crime Reporting System, hate crimes have elevated exponentially in Pennsylvania over the previous two years. From 2016 by way of 2019, Pennsylvania noticed a median of 88 hate crimes yearly. In 2020, incidents of hate crimes rose by 33% to 111. Simply this previous yr in 2021, there was a surprising 97% enhance to 219 crimes.

These will increase in Pennsylvania should not an anomaly, states throughout the nation are seeing the identical will increase. Whereas these numbers and will increase are alarming, it’s necessary to notice that hate crimes are additionally overwhelmingly underreported. At one level, the U.S. Division of Justice estimated that just about two-thirds of hate crimes are by no means reported.

The Wolf Administration is taking motion to fight bigotry and cut back hate crimes in Pennsylvania.

Governor Wolf has instructed the Pennsylvania State Police and different members of the Wolf Administration to hitch efforts by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Fee and the Anti-Defamation League to trace and battle hate crimes.

Moreover, the Wolf Administration has awarded greater than $9 million in Nonprofit Safety Grants in 2022. Earlier this month, Governor Wolf introduced $5.23 million awarded to 120 church buildings, synagogues, mosques, temples, and different nonprofit organizations which serve numerous communities, and infrequently face bias and hate crimes, to enhance their amenities’ safety and shield in opposition to hate crimes.

The Nonprofit Safety Grant Fund Program, administered by the Pennsylvania Fee on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), was established to offer grants to nonprofit organizations who principally serve people, teams or establishments which might be included inside a bias motivation class for single bias hate crime incidents as recognized by the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics publication. The classes embody race/ethnicity/ancestry, faith, sexual orientation, incapacity, gender, and gender id.

In January, Gov. Wolf introduced a further $4.5 million was allotted to this system from Pennsylvania’s American Rescue Plan Act {dollars}.

PCCD has issued two earlier Nonprofit Safety Grant Fund Program solicitations in 2020 and 2021. A complete of $5 million in funding was awarded to every cohort for a complete of 243 awards introduced. Collectively, these funds have helped multiple million people who find themselves related to these organizations.

“Hate has no place in Pennsylvania. However to actually root out bigotry, we’d like each Pennsylvanian throughout the commonwealth to take a stand,” Gov. Wolf mentioned. “We should bear in mind the horrors of the previous – however greater than that, we should act to construct peace right this moment. By working collectively on daily basis to reject bigotry and promote peace and acceptance, we will cease hate in its tracks, and construct a greater future for our commonwealth and our world.”