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Hate Crimes Spike Countywide
Number of hate crimes reported in 2007 jumps 28 percent

By Gene C. Johnson Jr.
Bulletin Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES – Although there was a drop in general crime in Los Angeles County last year, the total number of hate crimes reported increased 28 percent, according to an annual report released July 24 by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations.

According to the report, the 28 percent spike – from 594 reported hate crimes in 2006 to 763 in 2007 – was the highest in five years. Ironically, states the report, Los Angeles County, overall, experienced a 6 percent drop in crime.

Fueling that 28-percent increase was the growing number of hate crimes involving African Americans and Latinos. In anti-black crimes, 71 percent of the suspects were Latino. In crimes targeting Latinos, black suspects constituted 56 percent of the total.

Moreover, black and Latinos were the most frequent victims of hate crimes. Of the 763 reported hate crimes, there were 310 anti-African-American crimes followed by 125 anti-Latino crimes.

Also, according to the commission’s report, hate crimes committed by gang members increased from 105 to 120, a 14-percent increase. Sixteen percent of all hate crimes were tied to gangs. Gang members were suspects in 21 percent of racial hate crimes – which included two attempted murders.

The report classifies gang-related crime as those in which the suspects admitted their gang affiliation or used the names of gang or tagging crews in graffiti or tattoos.

The report did not include crimes in which the appearance of the suspects led witnesses to believe they were gang members. “Therefore, the actual number of suspects who were gang members may be higher,” reads the report.

Locally, Royce Esters, president of the Compton-based National Association for Equal Justice in America, said he’s noticed a recent increase in crimes where Latino gang members are targeting African-American gangs.

“I think there are still problems between blacks and Latinos in Compton,” Esters said. “I noticed that they’re (the Sheriff’s Department) raiding a lot of black gangs here. My problem is that they’re not going after the Hispanic gangs.

“I’m concerned about these Hispanic gangs that they’re (authorities) not looking into,” he said. “I know the blacks aren’t controlling the dope (drugs) anymore.”

In Compton, Esters said, there needs to be more dialogue between blacks and Latinos – including more Latinos attending NAEJA’s monthly meetings to voice their concerns about the community.

“We need more community involvement – from the City Council on up to the Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “The total community needs to be involved.”

Officials said the commission distributes their annual report, a compilation of data provided by law enforcement agencies, school districts, universities, and community agencies, to raise awareness about the types, severity, location and content of hate crimes in Los Angeles County.

“We have been issuing annual reports on hate crimes since 1980,” said Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations President Felipe Agredano. “This is one of the longest-standing efforts in the nation to document hate crime activity by a governmental agency.

“Each year, this report provides a startling snapshot of the face of hatred in Los Angeles County,” Agredano said. “This report tells the stories of hundreds of nameless, faceless, victims of hate crimes hidden from the public eye.”

According to California state law, hate crime charges are filed when there is evidence that “bias, hatred or prejudice based on the victim’s real or perceived race/ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation is a substantial factor in the commission of the offense.”

Using information from the report, the commission sponsors a number of programs related to combating hate crime such as the Network Against Hate Crime, the Racialized Gang Violence Prevention Initiative, “zerohour/No Hater Here,” a youth initiative, and the Media Image Coalition.