{"id":555,"date":"2018-10-31T12:26:23","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T12:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grantnews.com\/blog\/?p=555"},"modified":"2022-12-02T02:29:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T07:29:19","slug":"when-you-see-or-hear-hate-speech-dont-ignore-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/when-you-see-or-hear-hate-speech-dont-ignore-it\/","title":{"rendered":"When You See or Hear Hate Speech, Don’t Ignore It"},"content":{"rendered":"

The deadliest attack on the 11 innocent Jewish people at a prayer service at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the Parkland shooter who murdered innocent children and their teacher at a school in Florida, the person who sent bombs to high level Dems, and the Monday October 29th school shooter in North Carolina, all had two things in common.  All had mental health issues, and all had a history of posting hateful, incendiary messages on social media platforms laced with misinformation and conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n

What can you do, when you see something?  Would anyone have been able to deter these crimes by calling attention to their social media posts or their suspicious actions? Hindsight is twenty-twenty, so how do we get ahead of these deadly criminals.<\/p>\n

The creator of the mail bombs was driving a van plastered with hateful images and carried large duffle bags into work and no one ever stopped him or questioned him. As a good citizen of the world, it’s our responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and report when we see suspicious actitivity.<\/p>\n

“Be a good citizen of the world. Free speech is not hate speech,” said Libby Hikind, founder and CEO of GrantWatch<\/a>. “Be aware of threats, be alert online and around your physical surroundings, where you work and live and where you visit. As a good citizen, report anything that seems suspicious.  There are opportunities to join local chapters and partnerships with organizations like the Department of Homeland Security, InfraGard and others, or run your own programs. Organizations and businesses can look for homeland security funding on GrantWatch<\/a> for grants to increase security and programs to help support their employees, members and participants with training to handle emergency situations and in coping with traumatic events.”<\/p>\n

Target<\/strong> hardening <\/strong>is a term used by police officers, those working in security, and the military referring to the strengthening of the security of a building or installation in order to protect it in the event of attack. Follow the link for Homeland & National Security funding<\/a> to improve security and train staff.<\/p>\n

The following grant is currently available to provide funding to assist with support for recovery in communities following violent and traumatic attacks.<\/p>\n

Grants to USA LEAs and IHEs to Support School <\/strong>Communities Following Violent and Traumatic Events, ongoing<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Grants to USA local education agencies and institutions of higher education to assist the school community in restoring a learning environment following a traumatic or violent event. Schools may request short-term assistance to address an acute need as well as longer-term recovery assistance.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The organization Share Some Good has some good recommendations about effective ways to respond to and prevent hate speech.  (http:\/\/sharesomegood.org\/what-can-you-do\/) They recommend reporting the inciteful or hate-speech postings to the appropriate channels at that social media company and taking a pro-active stance against hate. If the site administrators determine that the post is considered hate speech, it may be removed. \u201cThe more reports they receive of hateful content, the more pressured they feel to remove it.”<\/p>\n

FYI: When you are on social media and you \u201cunfriend\u201d or stop \u201cfollowing\u201d a person or group, it gets them out of your sphere of awareness, but it does not alert the authorities of a potential threat. The evidence shows that often anti-social behavior combined with hate related social media posts have been the precursor to gun violence, terror attacks, deadly hate crimes, or shootings.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can find instructions on how to report hate speech via the step-by-step How to Guides (ohpi.org.au\/how-to-guides), offered by the Online Hate Prevention Institute. They can help you find the best way to report hateful posts on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Google, and directions on online safety and security. OHPI aims to, \u201cget technology companies and governments to recognize and take action against hate speech.” The Online Hate Prevention Institute has reporting guides on how to report a Facebook image, page, post or comment, a YouTube video, user, channel, or comment, and a Twitter status (Tweet) or user, or a Google+ post, comment or community page. In addition, they have directions on how to secure your access and your information on Facebook and Google.<\/p>\n

If you see a serious threat, or a post that’s inciteful, report it to the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI.<\/p>\n

Homeland Security urges citizens to get involved<\/a> in their campaigns, \u201cIf You See Something, Say Something<\/a>,\u201d  \u201cStop. Think. Connect.\u201d<\/a> and the \u201cCitizen Corps<\/a>\u201d. \u201cIf you see something, say something,\u201d is a national campaign that raises public awareness of the indicators of terrorism and terrorism-related crime, as well as the importance of reporting suspicious activity to state and local law enforcement.  \u201cInformed, alert communities play a critical role in keeping our nation safe. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is committed to strengthening hometown security by creating partnerships with state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments and the private sector, as well as the communities they serve,\u201d according to their website.<\/p>\n

The “Stop. Think. Connect” Campaign is a national public awareness effort that increases understanding of cyber threats and empowers the American public to be safer and more secure online. It encourages people to view internet safety as a shared responsibility \u2013 at home, in the workplace, and in our communities.<\/p>\n

The Citizen\u2019s Corp empowers individuals through education, training, and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds.<\/p>\n

They recommend that we all plan so we’re ready for disasters, stay informed and even participate in active shooter training<\/a>.
\n\"Recognize<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recognize the Signs of Suspicious Activity.<\/strong><\/p>\n