Newsom Launches 'Hate' Hotline for Californians To Report Attacks on Their 'Actual or Perc

https://freebeacon.com/california/newsom-launches-hate-hotline-for-californians-to-report-attacks-on-their-actual-or-perceived-identities/

Newsom Launches 'Hate' Hotline for Californians To Report Attacks on Their 'Actual or Perceived' Identities

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) has launched a hotline for people to report alleged hostility against their "actual or perceived" identities, but he has given no clear indication of what the state will do with complaints.

The project, dubbed "CA vs. Hate," was conceived as California's response to the nationwide spate of anti-Asian violence. It was launched after a 2021 bill by Democratic lawmakers mandated the state to create an online reporting system for "victims and witnesses to report a hate incident against any group in a safe, anonymous manner, particularly those who may face language or cultural barriers or are undocumented."

The Newsom administration defines a hate act vaguely as "a hostile expression or action that may be motivated by bias against another person's actual or perceived identity." Examples include derogatory name-calling, bullying, hate mail, and refusing service, according to the website.

It's unclear what the hotline will do. Potential callers are assured that the state will only involve police if specifically requested—the hotline's primary goals, according to its website, are finding "help" for people and communities and gathering data about hate incidents and crime.

"Reporting will stop the normalization of hate in our communities, and ensure impacted individuals get the help they need," the CA vs. Hate website says.

The state will only involve the police if a caller specifically asks, and special attention is paid to illegal immigrants. "You do not need to disclose your immigration status when you report with California vs Hate," the website says. "Hotline services are provided for free, regardless of immigration status."

The hotline launch follows years of California Democrats pushing pandemic-era censorship and surveillance. The state health department runs an email hotline for people to submit alleged COVID-19 misinformation in social media posts. Two laws from last year—one requiring social media companies to report "hate speech," "disinformation," and other content to the government and another barring doctors from giving patients COVID advice that falls outside the "scientific consensus"—are already embroiled in lawsuits.