Hate crimes on the rise in Seattle metro area

SEATTLE -- You’ve probably heard of some of the hate crimes that have happened throughout the state and even across the country.

According to Seattle police, those crimes are now on the rise and a lot of it has to do with the number of reports they’ve been receiving.

So far this year, there have been 50 reports of bias crimes in the Seattle metro area. According to police, most of them have come from the downtown area, followed by Capitol Hill and Northgate.

Data would show that there are more people who harbor these biases that have a particular logic about identity, said Tali Hairston, community development expert at Seattle Pacific University.

According to Hairston, the political climate may also be bringing out certain feelings some people have been harboring for quite a while.

“This big idea that one can hate the other and be OK with it -- that is socially acceptable,” Hairston said.

The community development expert told Q13 News he believes the solution to stop the violence and the hate is simple.

“If Seattle is going to be a place that gets this and gets this well, it’s going to be intentionally listening to each other’s stories,” Hairston said.