The FBI has reported that hate crimes are maintaining a steady rise of 17% over three consecutive years. This upsetting information came just weeks after the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooting and represents an observable trend that can be attributed to the distressing and arguably abominable American political landscape.

The report outlined that “the most common bias categories in single-bias incidents were race/ethnicity/ancestry (59.6) percent, religion (20.6 percent), and sexual orientation (15.8 percent). In addition to the 7,106 single-bias incidents reported last year, there were also 69 multiple-bias hate crimes reported.” In summation, with the rise of racism, homophobia, and antisemitism in our country, we have seen a concurrent rise in hate-driven violence against these communities.

It is important to regard these statistics as they reveal that these seemingly ‘all in the past’ acts of heinous violence are trending upward and are sustained resilient against limited obstruction. It is equally as critical to notice the FBI’s numbers are fragmentary in that certain law enforcement offices are withholding of their regional statistics and the report is for the 2017 crime year alone and does not include anything onward into 2018.

This data is, nevertheless, eye-opening and recommended for viewing the condition of a nation that champions neighborhood.