November 14, 2023 9:50 a.m.
The Portland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is joining the FBI’s nationwide efforts to increase awareness about hate crimes and encourage reporting of hate incidents with an advertising campaign across Oregon.
An FBI release said the campaign began November 6th, and includes billboard in Medford, Eugene, and Corvallis as well as static and digital displays reaching thousands of passengers daily at Portland International Airport.
The FBI defines a hate crime as a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.
The FBI is the lead investigative agency for criminal violations of federal civil rights statutes and works closely with local, state, tribal, and other federal law enforcement in many of these cases, even when federal charges are not pursued.
The Oregon effort ties with a national FBI awareness campaign that hopes to drive education efforts and increase reporting, “Protecting Our Communities Together: Report Hate Crimes”.
Anyone who has information about or believes they are a victim of a federal hate crime should contact the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at: https://tips.fbi.gov/home