Portland United Against Hate
PUAH is for the community, by the community
Portland United Against Hate (PUAH) is a coalition of more than 80 community organizations, neighborhood groups, agencies, and local governments working together to support those targeted by hate. We manage ReportHatePDX, a reporting and tracking tool where people can record hateful acts, and we analyze the data quarterly to help focus community leaders on solutions. Our partners provide trauma informed care and social services to those impacted by hate. We offer 20 workshops a year to educate people about how to reduce or avoid harm, empower those most impacted, understand more about those targeted, know our rights, and bring our best selves to civic life. We use our resources, assets and relationships in support of an inclusive city that embraces and celebrates diverse communities.
Portland United Against Hate was founded in 2016 as a response to an increase in incidents of hate crimes and intimidation in our community. Our coalition shares resources and relationships to create an inclusive city that protects, embraces, and celebrates its diverse communities. We have become a broad coalition dedicated to addressing hate violence in our communities.
The PUAH Coalition Founding Document
What is Hate
An understanding of hate and bias is integral to PUAH’s work.
The very communities most likely to be targets of hate violence are also the least likely to report their experiences to law enforcement. Undercounting of hate crimes can therefore create the impression that all is well. Communities experience hate motivated violence in a variety of ways and there’s a need for a documentation process that enables those most impacted to be able to track hate incidents in a trusted manner.
A hate incident occurs when a behavior based in bias creates a hostile environment, and/or belittles, restricts, harms, alienates people based on their perceived identity by a person, group, or institution that has similar or greater power than the target(s). This is an offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by the offender's bias against a protected class, including race, color, religious ideology, national origin, veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental ability, or political affiliation but may not qualify as a crime or a hate crime.
PUAH also classifies institutionalized oppressive behaviors as “hate”. Institutional Hate is a hate incident as described above but from an institution or its members often resulting in loss of access to economic, social, and/or political resources for the target. Institutional hate may or may not qualify as a crime or a hate crime but may violate equity or other policies of that institution.
Hate crimes are very specific. A hate crime is an enhancement of a crime as determined by law enforcement and are punishable only by law enforcement. Hate crimes are defined by Congress 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, ethnic origin or sexual orientation” and maybe be punishable by law. Oregon state law on hate crime adds more specificity.
https://www.davidson.edu/student-life/multicultural-life/hate-crime-and-bias-incidents and https://www.pdx.edu/diversity/bias-response-team were used as source material for this section.
PUAH Strategic Directions
Capacity Building | Rapid Response | Policy & Data
Focus of PUAH’s program and activities:
1. Pilot a hate incident tracking tool: ReportHatePdx.
2. Create tools and resources to combat hate.
3. Increase capacity within communities to respond to, interrupt, and prepare for hate incidents.