And the most common place for them to occur, after sidewalks and streets, is in our elementary and high schools.
By Lisa Wade
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the United States saw a spike of hate incidents after the election of Donald Trump on November 8th. Nearly 900 (867) real-world (i.e., not Internet-based) incidents were reported to the Center or covered in the media in just 10 days. USA Todayreports that the the Council on American-Islamic relations also saw an uptick in reports and that the sudden rise is greater than even what the country saw after the 9/11 attacks. This is, then, likely just a slice of what is happening.
As the rate of incidents show, there was either a rise in incidents after Trump’s victory and Hillary Clinton’s loss, or an increase in the tendency to report incidents. Most perpetrators of these attacks targeted African Americans and perceived immigrants.
The most common place for these incidents to occur, after sidewalks and streets, was K-12 schools. Rosalind Wiseman, anti-bullying editor and author of Queen Bees and Wannabes, and sociologist CJ Pascoe, author of Dude, You’re a Fag, bothargue that incidents at schools often reflect adult choices. Poor role models — adults themselves who bully or who fail to stand up for the bullied — make it hard for young people to have the moral insight and strength to do the right thing themselves.
This story originally appeared on Sociological Images, a Pacific Standard partner site, as “Hate Crimes Spike After the Election.”
