Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

H.E.A.T. map shows hate incidents across the U.S.

Photo from a University of Rochester student shows the flyers that went around earlier this year.
Provided photo
Photo from a University of Rochester student shows the flyers that went around earlier this year.

Local experts say hate speech and incidents have been on the rise for the last few years. 

A new"H.E.A.T." map designed by the Anti-Defamation League shows these incidents across the nation from last year. The map is an acronym as well: Hate, Extremism, Anti-Semitism, Terrorism. Regional ADL Director Evan Bernstein says the map counts everything from white supremacy propaganda to murder.

“The H.E.A.T. map shows the hot spots around this country and it also shows the sheer number in volume,” he said. “On top of that, geography is something that’s very impactful to people and the community. They are able to realize what’s going on around them and what’s happening in their community.”

The map also shatters the common, but incorrect, notion that these incidents are “one-off’s” or somehow unique, said Bernstein. The map instead adds context showing how frequent these incidences are. And he says officials can use this to demand change and policy to counter these incidents. 

Bernstein said law enforcement or members of the public typically report the incidents. Overall, however, he says the map doesn’t include every single incident because some may simply not be reported. He doesn’t know how many that might be or what percentage roughly is reported on the map.

“There’s still a lot of incidents that go unreported or we find out about afterward and it just shows that even though the HEAT map has such staggering numbers and a large increase in New York from 2016 to 2017 there are still many of those kinds of incidents unreported,” he said. "We’re seeing more flyer-ing and activity [white supremacy] groups that are out there and trying to openly recruit. It leads to an environment that allows certain people to act out in ways they maybe wouldn’t have before.”

Recently, 17 swastikas were painted in a Penfield park and earlier in the month a swastika was found painted in the nearby town of Avon on the Five-Arch bridge. These incidents aren't included because the map covers 2017 but will be in the next edition. Inicidents listed on the current map include the flyers passed out at the University of Rochester, which encouraged students to join the alt-right, two bomb threats made to the Jewish Community Center and the defacement of several Jewish graves. 

Bernstein says even flyers should be taken seriously because the radicalization of just one person can spell real danger: "So many incidents of extremism that took place in this country were unfortunately perpetuated by people that were white.”

He added that most were lone wolf-style attacks so that flyer reaching just one person could be all they need to be radicalized.  

Bernstein warns people who visit the map to assume some places are kinder than others. He says more incidents have happened in New York not because people there are less tolerant but because there is more diversity, meaning people with these views are more likely to meet people who don't look like or worship like them. However, in South Dakota, for instance, where there are fewer incidents, Bernstein says they may still have this sentiment but not as much reason to act out. For example, they are less likely to have diverse neighbors they feel the need to protect thier community from.

Bernstein says he hopes the map will empower officials and the public alike to drive this hate out of the nation. 

Tianna Mañon is a contributing reporter for WXXI news. She’s covered issues like the presence of plastic in the Great Lakes, the death of Trevyan Rowe and the impact of the opioid epidemic in the inner-city.