City of Austin launches ‘We All Belong’ anti-hate campaign

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin leaders on Friday announced the launch of an anti-hate outreach and education campaign.

The goal of the “We All Belong” campaign, powered by Austin Against Hate, is to encourage the community to keep Austin a safe and welcoming place.

A website launched along with the initiative, where people can report suspected hate crimes to the Austin Police Department, explore APD data on bias-motivated crimes, look at community survey data on the threat of hate crimes, connect with community partners, and learn about “We All Belong” events coming up.

City, county, and community partners held a press conference Friday morning to launch the campaign, which was a response to a city council resolution asking the city manager to work with local groups to provide improvements to the city’s response to hate.

Jackie Nirenberg, the regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, of Austin was there. “We at ADL are super excited that the city is taking this initiative to the community, and really making people aware that there is something you can do if you experience hate or bias in our community,” Nirenberg said. “You don’t have to remain silent.”

For more information on the campaign, visit its website.