The Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) is working on a new process to document hate and bias incidents in the state following a rise in the number of cases.

This comes following the latest release of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) Hate Map report which shows Michigan saw a 6.5 percent increase in active hate and extremist groups in 2018.

SLPC’s data:

• In 2018, Michigan had 31 active hate and extremist groups.

• Over the last decade Michigan has seen an increase of more than 19 percent in such groups.

• These groups are in communities throughout the state including Alpena, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids and Petoskey, to name a few.

“This is a troubling trend,” Agustin Arbulu, director, MDRC said. “These groups range in the ideological extremes from anti-Muslim, to anti-LGBT to black nationalists and white nationalists. Particularly of concern, over one half of the identified groups are located east of US-23 between Flint and Ann Arbor.”

Currently in Michigan, MDCR shares that hate and bias incidents “are those instances where an action does not rise to the level of a crime or civil infraction.”

MDCR shares an example of a hate incident that happened in Lansing that negatively impacted the community but was not illegal. A white nationalist group posted flyers targeting immigrants and Jewish people, but the flyers were not considered illegal because they were protected as free speech under the First Amendment.

MDCR announced that its working to create a system where these incidents are documented in a database so MDCR can work with community partners and create targeted awareness and education programs to address these incidents.

“Identifying and calling out hate and bias incidents is an important tool in our toolbox to educate Michiganders about the undertone of hatred in our communities,” Arbulu said. “But they also serve as a first step in developing community dialogue to strengthen our collective resolve to reject hate, bias and division. The department looks forward to helping all of our community partners in fostering these important, powerful and ultimately life-changing discussions as we become more diversified.”

In addition, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she is creating a hate crimes unit.

"Hate cannot continue to flourish in our state," Nessel said. "I have seen the appalling, often fatal results of hate when it is acted upon. That is why I am establishing a hate-crimes unit in my office -- to fight against hate crimes and the many hate groups which have been allowed to proliferate in our state."

In 2016, Nessel co-founded the Justice Project with Kym Worthy, Wayne County prosecutor to investigate and prosecute hate crimes against the LGBTQ community.

In 2018, CMF’s Michigan Forum for African-Americans in Philanthropy Affinity Group (MFAAP) held a convening and hosted a session at Annual Conference on hate crimes and philanthropy’s role in combating hate.

As for the statewide database and hate crimes unit, there’s no specific timeline as to when they will be in operation. In the meantime, the MDCR encourages the reporting of hate crimes via their website. The site also includes trainings and resources.

Want more?

Check out the data from SPLC.

Learn more about the work of MDCR.