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Mission Statement: The People of Michigan will not ignore or condone hate crimes or bias incidents, and will vigorously investigate and prosecute these acts at the Federal, State, and local level. 
For MIAAHC, a hate crime or bias incident is any act of intimidation, harassment, physical force, or threat of physical force, whether or not performed under color of law, directed against a victim or their advocate or property. The act or threat, motivated in whole or in part by bias against a protected group, is based on the real or perceived race, color, ethnic background, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim. The perpetrator of a hate crime or bias incident has the intent of causing fear or intimidation, or of deterring the victim from the free exercise or enjoyment of rights or privileges secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States or the State of Michigan. MIAAHC uses the terms hate crime and bias incident interchangeably in its documents and such conduct includes incidents that express a bias motivation or hatred for a protected group and are either criminal or non-criminal in their intent, nature, or scope.
| Principles: Hate crimes are acts motivated by prejudice and hatred. These acts affect the victim’s fundamental rights and the rights of the victim’s group, whether real or perceived. Perpetrators commit these acts to force victims to feel violated, depersonalized, and isolated, and ultimately deprive individuals of their sense of security and self-worth.
Hate crimes pose a unique danger to our society. Such acts can be particularly devastating not only because of the significant cost to the victim but also because of the polarizing effect that such acts have on a community.
| Goals: MIAAHC is committed to working together to secure the right of every person in this State to be free from hate crimes. MIAAHC is committed to supporting victims and assisting communities, organizations and groups that seek effective means to identify, combat and eliminate such acts. To achieve its mission, MIAAHC will:
(a) Coordinate Federal, state and local law enforcement agency resources and unify law enforcement agencies with community leaders in a manner necessary and appropriate to ensure a complete and effective response to hate crimes;
(b) Use a community outreach approach to help ensure effective reporting, investigation, and prosecution of hate crimes, heal wounds in the community, and ultimately prevent acts of hated and bigotry;
(c) Expand hate crime education and training opportunities to include programs for Federal, state and local law enforcement officers and classroom-based educational programs for young people; and
(d) Improve data collection so Michigan can more readily understand the scope of the problem within our state and effectively deploy resources to combat hate.
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