They’re things that don’t happen here in the Tri-Counties, right?
A man is harassed, and then stabbed at a convenience store just because he’s black.
But it did happen, in Ventura.
A church sign is vandalized, just because it welcomes members of the LGBTQ community.
It happened, in Thousand Oaks.
Antisemitic flyers are distributed throughout some neighborhoods.
It happened in Santa Barbara, and Isla Vista.
Hate crimes, and hate incidents aren't just things we see on CNN. They are things we find happening here at home, on the Central and South Coasts.
Hundreds of people, from community leaders to our neighbors got together in the Conejo Valley Sunday to step up to confront the problem, with an event called the ADL Walk Against Hate.
Suzanne Epstein came with a sign that covered the bases. It said 'No racism, no antisemitism, no sexism, and no homophobia'.
"It seems to be getting worse than when I was younger," said Epstein. "I don't understand it, but there's got to be some resolution to this."
Dan Meisel is Executive Director of the Tri-Counties Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, better known as the ADL. The ADL started in 1913 as an organization to fight antisemitism, but is now one of the world’s leading anti-hate groups.
"I think we've seen a really concerning rise in not just extremist hate acts, but we've seen what we used to see on the fringe moving to the mainstream," said Meisel.
Meisel admits it can be tough to balance the right to free speech we have in America with anti-hate speech. He thinks that’s why people need to speak up to drown out disinformation, and hate.
"Hate speech is protected speech, and often the best response to hate speech is good speech," he said.
Patricia Booker has been a part of the ACLU in Ventura County for decades, and says the fight against hate is a never ending one.
"There's been many issues in the community, antisemitism and racism issues, and you have to get in there to fight against hate, and not be afraid to step up." said Booker.
Even though Thousand Oaks is consistently ranked as one of the safest places in the nation for its size, it isn’t immune to the problem. Claudia Bill de La Pena is the city's longtime Mayor.
"It is a safe community, but it has this undercurrent of bigotry that needs to be brought to the fore," said Bill de La Pena. She said that some people don't feel safe.
Some say they are alarmed about what see as a spike in hate incidents.
Joanie Weisel of Santa Barbara says we can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. She says hate speech needs to be answered, because if left unchecked it opens the door to more than talk.
"Today, we are noticing greater trends of prejudice, and bias," said Weisel. "We need to be hard at work at work to make an impact about how destructive that is."
