A new initiative hopes to stunt the growth of bias crimes in the Garden State. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Monday the launch of “No Hate in the Garden State”, a statewide campaign to raise public awareness about bias incidents and bias crimes, which target a protected status of the victim such as race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. “No Hate in the Garden State” will educate the public on the resources available to victims of bias incidents and bias crimes and will use television, print, radio, digital, and social media messaging to increase public awareness of incidents of bias and hate, encourage the reporting of such incidents, and prevent future episodes. In addition to training sessions for law enforcement and victim services professionals, the campaign also includes more intensive direct training programs for educators, students, and parents in communities most affected by bias incidents. The educational events will be designed to help better identify, report, charge, and prosecute bias crimes. Anti-Black and anti-Jewish bias remain the most prevalent race and religion-based crimes reported. A press release from the Attorney General’s office included various voices. “As our nation and state continue to grapple with an alarming rise in incidents of bias and hate, we must work together to ensure all our fellow New Jerseyans feel safe in their communities,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “This is a problem that we must tackle head on – because nobody deserves to live in fear because of who they are. The No Hate in the Garden State campaign will be critical in our efforts to identify the sources of bias and intolerance and raise awareness about the tools available to report bias incidents, enabling us to take action to protect our residents and rid our communities of hatred.” “Since 2018, reports of bias incidents and crimes have steadily risen throughout the nation, and New Jersey has been no exception. We will not, however, stand idly by in the face of this unacceptable trend,” said Attorney General Platkin. Across the nation and in New Jersey, bias incidents and acts of hatred have continued to increase in recent years. According to the State’s recently-released Bias Incident Report 2021-2022, there were 2,211 bias incidents reported in 2022. This is a 53% increase over the 1,447 incidents reported in 2020. The Department of Community Justice has received over $1 million in federal grant funding to increase public awareness and to enhance the reporting of bias incidents and crimes. “I am really proud of the work we have done to create this campaign. It will help empower New Jerseyans to stop the rising tide of hatred and bias,” said J. Stephen Ferketic, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We don’t tolerate hate here in New Jersey, and now we’re equipping our residents with the tools to recognize acts of bias and hatred – and to know how to help us put a stop to it.” Sundeep Iyer, director of the Division on Civil Rights, said “the statewide campaign launched (Monday) comes at a critical moment in the fight against bias and hate. Now more than ever, we must continue to develop new ways to educate New Jerseyans about how they can stand up to hate they see in their communities.”