Dive Brief:

• Hundreds of mayors have joined with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Anti-Defamation League in an initiative to "fight extremism and bigotry in America" through The Mayors' Compact to Combat Hate.
• The compact is made up of 10 specific initiatives. Those initiatives include prioritizing anti-bias programs in schools, promoting law enforcement training that focuses on responding to and reporting hate crimes and domestic terrorism, and encouraging residents to report hate incidents and hate crimes using hot lines and online tools.
• The compact's website says that mayors and cities have to "take the lead" on combating extremism in the U.S. and that the mayors expect "federal and state partners" to join in on the effort.

Dive Insight:

The aftermath of recent white nationalist-led protests and violence in Charlottesville, VA, which culminated in the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, is likely to be felt in the U.S. for quite some time to come. Some cities like Baltimore and Lexington, KY are already taking action and making plans to keep their residents safe and civil.

With the backing of more than 270 mayors, the compact has some teeth to it. And this is not the first time this year that cities have shown dedication to achieving big goals. Earlier this summer, hundreds of mayors committed to mitigating damage from climate change and later came together to support the use of renewable energy. 

The document's 10 parts are what make the initiative most compelling. While some appear basic or even vague ("denouncing all acts of hate," "expressly rejecting extremism"), and some read like mission statements ("ensuring public safety while protecting free speech"), there are a few parts of the compact that are concrete policy goals. The compact says, for example, that mayors will push schools to include anti-bias and anti-hate instruction in their curricula. The compact also says its members will encourage their police departments to undergo training on recognizing hate incidents, and will push for data collection related to those types of crimes.

The compact also calls for participants to encourage their residents to report hate incidents and hate crimes. Notably, it says that mayors will provide "the tools necessary to facilitate such reporting," which could include hot lines and online tools. Well-made mobile apps are an effective way for cities to drive up citizen engagement. If cities add, for example, a hate incident reporting tool to already-existing 311 or other city-based mobile apps, they could make noticeable progress in combating hate in their cities.