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Amid hate crime surge, here’s what Yolo County is doing to drive an anti-bias campaign

A string of hate incidents in Yolo County has prompted a campaign to condemn bias in local communities.

The city of Davis joined with Yolo County and UC Davis to form “Hate-Free Together,” which will kick off with a series of community workshops in 2023 to determine what specific actions to take to make marginalized people safer.

The city of Davis, Yolo County and UC Davis have partnered to create Hate-Free Together, a community-wide framework to combat the recent string of local hate incidents and prioritize the well-being and safety of all residents.
The city of Davis, Yolo County and UC Davis have partnered to create Hate-Free Together, a community-wide framework to combat the recent string of local hate incidents and prioritize the well-being and safety of all residents.

“Hate incidents affect us all, and we all have a role to play in this fight,” Yolo County Supervisor Don Saylor said in a news release.

The Davis Enterprise reported that on the same day the new partnership was announced, Davis police started investigating an alleged attempted robbery and hate crime that left a man injured; police said the suspect choked the victim and used racial slurs.

On Sept. 27, someone drew a swastika in a west Davis apartment complex. According to previous reporting by The Bee, UC Davis officials found antisemitic images and slurs at least seven times between August and mid-October.

In August, the district attorney announced that four men in masks stood on a freeway bicycle overpass in Davis and held a banner displaying a Holocaust-denying antisemitic message. And in late June, anti-LGBTQ agitators sent violent threats to a Woodland bar before a scheduled drag show, then attempted to storm the bar after the show was canceled.

The new campaign is currently constructing a website to help centralize information about combating hatred in Yolo County. Residents who are interested in participating on an individual level or as part of an agency or business can fill out a Google form at bit.ly/HateFreeTogetherComment.

Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza, Davis City Council Member Gloria Partida, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, Davis Mayor Lucas Frerichs, Yolo County Supervisor Don Saylor, Davis City Council Member Josh Chapman and Davis City Council Member Dan Carson, left to right, signed a joint resolution “declaring our community Hate-Free Together.”
Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza, Davis City Council Member Gloria Partida, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, Davis Mayor Lucas Frerichs, Yolo County Supervisor Don Saylor, Davis City Council Member Josh Chapman and Davis City Council Member Dan Carson, left to right, signed a joint resolution “declaring our community Hate-Free Together.”