The Austin City Council approved a resolution Thursday to transition the Hate Crimes Task Force from an external initiative to a city-led model housed within the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
Council Member Zohaib “Zo” Qadri, who sponsored the resolution, wrote in an email that the transition will enhance community access to hate crime reporting by directing the city to build a Hate Crimes Web Portal and establish a network of trained community advocates who can assist with the process. The resolution also mandates quarterly public forums with the community to raise awareness and build trust in reporting mechanisms among people by having them share their experiences, he wrote.
The Hate Crimes Task Force first launched as a partnership between the city and the
Anti-Defamation League
, an organization that combats antisemitism and bias. The collaboration also included members from school districts, other city councils and organizations, according to the
league
. In the council meeting, Qadri said the task force helped the LGBTQ+ community after a series of hate crimes in 2010.
“We did a lot of really good work with (the task force), but I saw gaps, especially in the political climate that we currently live in, where so many folks are afraid and feel unwelcome,” Qadri said.
Qadri, who represents District 9, where most of UT and West Campus are located, said Muslim and Jewish students spoke to him about feeling afraid to wear religious garments due to previous hate speech incidents they endured.
Since the start of 2025, around 25% of crimes investigated as hate crimes by the Austin Police Department were within District 9, according to a city
dataset
.
“My concern is that the data is clearly trending in the wrong direction,” Council Member Marc Duchen said during the council meeting. “I feel like we have to do a better job here using the talent, the resources in the Hate Crimes Task Force … and just in general, get better data to the public.”
Public campaigns like
We All Belong
will be relocated along with the task force to ensure “stronger alignment” with directions set by the Office of Equity and Inclusion, according to the
resolution
. The functions of this campaign will be paused for a year to shift away from a focus on community events toward data collection and services.
Monica Guzmán, the policy director for
Go Austin/Vamos Austin
and supporter of the resolution, said during the council meeting that the Office of Equity and Inclusion now needs to be fully funded. The office hosts “Undoing Racism” workshops, which she said need more funding, as they regularly bring impacted communities in direct contact with city leaders. $6 million is allocated to the Office of Equity and Inclusion, making up only 0.1% of the total budget, according to the
City of Austin 2025-26 Budget
.
“That is how you prevent and reduce hate crimes with broader understandings, strategic relationships and collaboration,” Guzmán said. “The antidote to hate is critical love in action.”
