Rise in Anti-Minority Violence Appears Tied to Current Political Climate

| February 9, 2017 

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There’s been a dramatic rise in hate-related crimes and anti-minority violence in the last year. The Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham was evacuated on Jan. 9 following a bomb threat. That incident turned out to be one of dozens of bomb threats at Jewish community centers around the country that day. Groups that track hate and extremist activity like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League have recorded a spike in episodes of violence against minority groups around the U.S. in the last year. The question is what sparked this behavior? We talk more about what may be causing the increase of violence against minorities and the role the media plays in reporting these incidents with Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper Weld.

Photo by faul

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