What if I become the target of, or witness, a hate crime or hate-motivated act?

We understand that experiencing, or witnessing, a hate crime or hate-motivated act can be difficult and distressing; we encourage you to take care of yourself. We also recommend that you report the incident(s) immediately. Please see our resources pages for education, advocacy, reporting and support resources: On Campus Resources for Education, Advocacy, and Support and Additional Reporting, Support, and Other Information.

Make sure you are safe.

Get to a safe location such as a public place, a police station or a friend’s home to secure yourself against further harm. To practice ongoing safety: walk with friends when going places, walk in well-lit areas at night where there are people around, and make sure your phone number isn’t listed publically. You may also consider filing for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).

Get medical attention if necessary.

If you need immediate assistance, call 911. We encourage you go to a hospital and receive medical attention as soon as possible if you have been a victim of a physical attack, including sexual assault, as it is possible that the doctor may discover injuries that are not visible. For more information regarding sexual assault, refer to the GenEq Sexual Assault Infosheet.

Preserve evidence.

Collecting evidence can help you build a case this can mean: taking photographs, saving written or electronic messages, recording threatening voicemails, not showering after sexual assault (showering washes away evidence), keeping soiled clothes in a plastic sealable bag, keeping a journal of the dates and times of events, etc. 

Take care of yourself:

talk to a friend, family member, or someone you trust; write in a journal; practice art or music; engage in a spiritual or religious practice; or take care of your body through exercise, rest and good nutrition.

Report the incident: 

It is important to report the incident even if you decide to not press charges because it can help the police build a file on the accused, which helps prevent the assault from happening to someone else. It will inform the police about the prevalence of hate crimes and hate-motivated acts in the UC Berkeley campus community.

Please fill out the form below if you've witnessed or experienced what you believe to be a hate crime, bias-motivated incident or other incident that has negatively impacted the campus climate. This form is sent to the University of California, Office of the President and all incidents reported at UC Berkeley are sent to a campus representative. This form can be anonymous and statistics are collected for reporting purposes.

University of California System-Wide Hate Incident Reporting Form

Consider contacting a counselor

to help you process you deal with the effects of being a survivor or witness of a hate crime. Having someone to talk to who understands can be a valuable resource and aid healing.

Do not blame yourself.

You do not, and did not, deserve to be targeted.