Photo from the New York Times.

Despite the constant reminder that there’s always danger wherever we go, and all the terrible news that can be seen on television every day, you’re not in as much danger as you might think. Violence has actually experienced a big drop these past two decades with one exception: hate crimes. And it might all be our government’s fault.

Since 1991, rates of violence in the United States have declined significantly, and throughout the years, the percentages of crimes overall have reached historic lows according to Brennan Center for Justice. In 2017, for example, the rates saw a drop, with an average of 382.9 violent crimes per 100,000 reported after 2016’s 386.6, as Statista reports.

But despite the fact that violence, in general, is at an all-time low, hate crimes have skyrocketed across the 50 states.

So, what exactly is a hate crime? The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports defines it as “a committed criminal offense which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias(es) against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

Hate crimes decreased in 2012, but ever since then, they have steadily increased, with the numbers going up in 2017 by 1,379 since 2012’s 5,796 reported cases, according to the FBI.

So, how is this possible? There isn’t really a concrete reason, but many people believe that the most convincing and probable rationale is that political influence has affected the masses noticeably over the years.

The Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism studied the FBI’s data and found that “hate crimes have increased in every presidential election year since national FBI record-keeping began in the early 1990s.

Brian Levin, crime researcher and director of Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, said to the Politifact that hate crime rates shift (whether up or down) more than usual “catalytic, emotionally-charged events, terrorist attacks, and conflictual elections.”

For example, during November of 2016, when the last presidential election took place, analysts and advocacy groups noticed a spike in reports of hate crimes, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. President Trump has stirred up lots of controversies that deal with minorities—black people, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, etc.—since he started his campaign during that time.

Many will deny that Trump has further fueled this flame of hate, but while that can’t really be proven, the reality is that he also hasn’t done anything as President to prevent it. In fact, he has done more to mock or instigate hate among minorities than actually do something to protect the people of his country.

But while everyone loves to point to Trump whenever something bad happens, he is not the only one to be blamed for the increase in hate crimes. Social media and even members of our Congress that have done nothing when a major hate crime like the Charlottesville incident occurs should also be held accountable.

Jennifer Rubin, a writer for the Washington Post says that “The House should hold hearings on the problem, solicit expert advice and — we would hope in conjunction with the Senate — take a zero-tolerance position in their own parties when it comes to noxious bigotry. Republicans’ silence makes them complicit; their unwavering support for Trump makes them morally responsible for the surge in hate crimes.”