Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

FBI Seeks To Raise Hate Crime Awareness In North Carolina

Bus ads are part of a new FBI campaign to raise hate crime awareness in North Carolina. Photo courtesy of FBI.gov

The Charlotte division of the FBI is launching a statewide campaign to raise awareness about federal hate crimes, and is encouraging people to report these offenses to authorities.

The operation is part of a nationwide effort coordinated through FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.

According to a news release, North Carolinians may soon see ads appearing on social media, news websites, buses, and in several airports.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity."

Robert Wells is Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Charlotte Division. He released a statement saying that no one should fear being targeted for violence because of their looks, where they are from, or any portion of their identity.

According to the FBI crime database, there were 185 reported incidents of hate crimes in North Carolina in 2020. Of those, 147 were related to race, ethnicity, or ancestry.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate