Victim Responses Hate crime may have particularly damaging effects on its victims, their families and the communities of which they are a part. A sense of anger is one of the common responses to being the victim of a hate crime, but so is a deep sense of personal hurt and betrayal. Victims experience feelings of powerlessness, isolation, sadness and suspicion. Fear is another pervasive victim response - fear for their own safety and for their family's safety. Most report changes in their lifestyle such as where they walk, how they answer the phone, reactions to strangers, suspicion of co-workers, and other such changes.
Fear can take on paranoid qualities and drastically disrupt the lives of some victims.
One of the most common reactions is a sense of injustice, and a corresponding loss of faith in law enforcement and the whole criminal justice system, which is often felt to be insensitive and disinterested. The victim may view himself or herself as perpetually vulnerable or that his or her existence is the cause of this violence is unhealthy and maladaptive. When others seemed not to care, the effects on victims were intensified. Such a perceived lack of concern, whether from neighbors, strangers, officials, or whomever, added to a sense of isolation. Somehow, when others do care, the trauma is softened.