More often than not, when hate flares up, good people rise up against it - often in greater numbers and with stronger voices. The good news is, all over the country people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance and inclusion. In addition, many law enforcement agencies are not fully trained to recognize or investigate hate crimes, and many simply do not collect or report hate crime data to the FBI. Many hate crimes never get reported, in large part because the victims are reluctant to go to the police. But government studies show that the real number is far higher - an estimated 260,000 per year. Since 2010, law enforcement agencies have reported an average of about 6,000 hate crime incidents per year to the FBI. Bias incidents (eruptions of hate where no crime is committed) also tear communities apart and can escalate into actual crimes. Most hate crimes are inspired by race and religion, but hate today wears many faces.

When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime.

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