Partners Against Hate Brings Local Leaders Together in New Public Service Announcement

Contact: Liz Paige, Associate Director, United Jewish Federation of Utah

Today, the Community Partners Against Hate, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, and Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown announced the Salt Lake Speak Up and Stand Up Against Hate campaign. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness and increase the reporting of hate crimes and bias incidents. These behaviors tear at the fabric of our democracy and risk the safety and security of all Salt Lake residents.

To illustrate our concern, during the month of September, the I.J. and Jeanné Wagner Jewish Community Center received a bomb threat that resulted in the issuing of a two-hour shelter in place order while police investigated the threat. To the south of the JCC, the King’s English Bookstore was forced to close its doors for a day because of a bomb threat – resulting in the cancellation of an all-ages drag story time event. In August, Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of Salt Lake City’s oldest predominately black churches, was vandalized with hate speech and property damaged. On October 8, Congregation Kol Ami, our city’s and state’s, largest Jewish congregation, had to be evacuated during a holiday service due to a bomb threat. These four incidents should rally everyone to take a stand against hate. 

To combat the rise in hate crimes and bias incidents in the United States, eleven members of the Community Partners Against Hate group had the opportunity to attend the world’s largest conference on hate, the Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is symbolic as it is the home of the Tree of Life Synagogue – the site of the Nation’s deadliest antisemitic mass shooting. Along with several hundred law enforcement and criminal justice officials, community members, and religious leaders, Utah’s delegation members learned critical information and best practices to be proactive in our communities and foster a culture of love and acceptance. 

“Salt Lake City is the incredible place it is thanks to the people who call it home – people from diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. I’m grateful to these communities for their work make our capital city the welcoming place it is,” said Mayor Erin Mendenhall.  “Salt Lake City unequivocally rejects hate, intolerance, and intimidation in any form.”

“Hate crimes are different from other crimes. Hate crimes are a violent virus that have three victims: the person targeted in the attack, the community or group to which the person belongs, and those who live where the crime occurred,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “There is no place for hate in Salt Lake.”

“The Salt Lake City Police Department stands united in our fight against hate crimes,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown. “We are committed to inclusion and unity. We vow to thoroughly investigate hate crimes, to support survivors and to build a future where hate is rejected and where all individuals can live without fear of discrimination or violence.” 

The Community Partners Against Hate, an initiative of the United Jewish Federation of Utah, is a coalition of organizations and individuals, including government offices, focused on increasing the reporting of incidents and crimes motivated by hate, educating the community about hate crimes and the resources available to victims of such crimes, and mobilizing all members of the community to speak out and stand up against hate. For more information, please visit the United Jewish Federation of Utah’s website