Hate Crimes Town Hall Focused Not Just on Prosecution, But on Prevention
(Crystal A. Proxmire, May 8, 2025)
West Bloomfield, MI – “Hate crimes target, not so much people, but communities of people… These are messaging crimes, and we need to send a message back. They need to be answered with the strong message in return and that is this: Hate has no place in Michigan. We won’t tolerate that.”
That message was shared by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel at the May 7 Hate Crimes Town Hall in West Bloomfield.
Nessel was on a panel discussion with State Representative Noah Arbit and author Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss of PERIL Research which is the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lap.
The event, hosted at Temple Israel, provided an opportunity to learn what hate crimes are, and what can be done to not only prosecute them, but to prevent them.
Dr. Miller-Idriss shared that circumstances are ripe for hate because there is ever increasing access to online content that encourages violence and harm. People are becoming more isolated from in-person interaction. There is less trust, and young men in particular report having fewer in-person friends.
Her organization, PERIL, provides research and training on radicalization. Prior to starting PERIL, Miller-Idriss had spent time in Germany studying the governmental effort to prevent hate, violence, and extremism
She and her team have also taken a data-driven approach to tackling the problem of racism, antisemitism, antifeminism, and other forms of discrimination and hate.
“Prevention is easier than trying to get a radicalized person to change,” she said.
She compared the work of preventing hate to the work in fighting heart disease and diabetes. “We went from treating disease to educating people about how to be healthier,” Dr. Miller-Idriss said.
That’s why PERIL works to develop videos, web-based guides and resources, and training programs for parents, teachers, and others. She teaches people to recognize red flags – early warning signs of extremism. Some warning signs can be racial or antisemitic remarks, as well as those that degrade women or the LGBTQ+ community. Talking of violence, upcoming civil war, or admiring acts of violence are also warning signs. Parents and concerned friends might notice isolating behaviors, or may begin wearing clothing or items glorifying hate.
She also said that those encouraging hate and division are reaching young men through anti-feminist content, such as podcasts, memes, and porn. As they become desensitized to misogyny, they become more susceptible to messages of racism and hate.
Boys and men are also being targeted with messaging that their dissatisfactions in life are not their fault. They’re provided with scapegoats – like women or people with different backgrounds to them. This leads to resentment, hate, and division.
Those who want to learn more about preventing hate and spotting radicalization can find resources on https://perilresearch.com/
Attorney General Nessel and State Rep Arbit have both been advocates for pushing back against hate.
Arbit, who represents West Bloomfield, Commerce Township, Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake, Sylvan Lake, and Bloomfield Township, ran for office with the goal of increasing civil rights protections. In April 2023, just a few months after taking office, he introduced the Hate Crimes Amendment Act which added protection for those with disabilities, and for people based on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as age.
In December 2023 he introduced the Institutional Desecration Act, which strengthens penalties for malicious damage, destruction, or defacement of specific types of communal institutions. This law targets places like houses of worship, cemeteries, schools, libraries, museums, community centers, businesses, and nonprofits, as well as their adjacent grounds and digital assets.
Both took significant work to get passed, as Arbit found resistance not just from Republicans, but from some Democrats as well.
Nessel thanked Arbit for giving her the tools to go after those who seek to intimidate others. Before Hate Crimes and Desecration laws, crimes that were clearly meant to target not just the victim, but entire communities, were often just treated as misdemeanors such as malicious destruction of property, trespassing, or lower-level assaults. Now such crimes can be charged as felonies if the motivation to demonstrate hate and perpetuate fear based on belonging to a specific community is clear.
The higher penalties can deter crime, and taking offenses like graffiti, destruction of property, harassment etc more seriously can mean that a person who is just starting to act out against others may be able to get help for the mental health issues leading them to harm others. Nessel said this can be enough to stop someone from escalating to violent crimes like battery and murder.
Nessel rose to fame as the Attorney who represented a same-sex couple from Hazel Park looking to legally adopt their children, a case which paved the way for gay marriage in Michigan. As Attorney General she added the Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit to her office. Those seeking to report hate crimes can easily find information on the State’s website.
She shared that last year there were 258 hate crimes reported to the state, but that the actual number is likely much higher. “These numbers are so low,” she said. “These are the most under-reported crimes.”
Over 50% of hate crimes have targeted people in their homes, and 25% of victims have been targeted while out at a public place. Four out of five reported hate crimes targeted a person rather than property.
The Attorney General shared tips for what people should do if they are a victim of a hate crime, saying they should report it to the local police, preserve evidence, document as much as possible by taking photos and videos. She said people should not tamper with evidence or disturb the crime scene, and that they should make a police report locally as well as report it to hatcrimes@michigan.gov.
