What Should I Do if I am Victimized?
If you have been the victim of a hate crime, you may:
- Experience psychological distress
- Feel scared, vulnerable, worried, or targeted
- Lose trust in local law & safety enforcement
- Feel depressed, anxious, or preoccupied
- Feel unwelcome and dehumanized
- Stop doing things you previously enjoyed and felt safe doing
- Develop an “us vs. them” mentality
Ways you can get the support you need:
- Make a report to 211OC and indicate you would like to be contacted with referrals
- Talk to your case manager about what you are experiencing, feeling, and needing
- Seek out mental health services
- Prioritize your own self-care
- Connect with others – to mobilize, build coalitions, come together as support groups, participate in community unity or cultural strengthening events
- Take the time to check in on a friend, family member, colleague, or children that you know who might also be affected
Tips for reporting:
- Call the police or sheriff’s department immediately and make a report
- Obtain medical attention, if needed — Be sure to keep all medical documentation
- Leave all evidence in place; do not touch, remove, or clean up anything
- Document what happened by taking photographs of the evidence, writing down exactly what was said, particularly any words that indicate bias motivation, recalling any demographic information about the perpetrator, and other information that may be valuable
- Write down a description of the perpetrator and the perpetrator’s vehicle
- Get the name(s), address(es) and phone number(s) of other victims and witnesses
