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Hate crimes in California rose 20% in 2022, report says

June 28, 2023

Hate crimes have risen in California, according to a new state Department of Justice report.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and community leaders gathered in front of the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 27 to discuss the state’s latest report on hate crimes, and ongoing efforts to combat rising hate and extremism.

Reported hate crimes increased roughly 20% last year, up from 1,763 in 2021, to 2,120 in 2022, the report said. Officials define hate crimes as a criminal offense against a person or property, motivated by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.

Key takeaways from the 2022 Hate Crime in California report include:

Hate crimes against Black communities increased 27.1%, from 513 in 2021 to 652 in 2022.
Anti-Hispanic hate crimes rose from 197 in 2021, to 210 in 2022.
Anti-Asian hate crimes fell from 247 in 2021, to 140 in 2022; a decrease of 43.3%.
Anti-Jewish hate crimes increased 24.3% from 152 in 2021, to 189 in 2022.
Anti-transgender hate crimes increased from 38 in 2021, to 59 in 2022.

Anti-Islamic, Protestant, LGBTQ+, and gender non-conforming hate crimes also rose from last year. The number of hate crimes referred for prosecution increased 5.9%, from 610 in 2021 to 647 in 2022.

The state Department of Justice has collected and reported data on hate crimes since 1995.

Officials also released an updated bulletin providing information for local law enforcement agencies on how to respond most effectively to hate crimes and incidents.

For example, when police come across a hate crime, they should first ensure the safety of the victim and document all evidence of what happened, according to the bulletin.

Bonta urged the community to stand united to combat extremism in order to alleviate, and eliminate, hate in California.

“[Hate] seems to be so many places, so pervasive, from national political leaders to sometimes our own neighbors,” Bonta said. “Racist, xenophobic, homophobic, destructive language is being brandished about all too freely to alienate, discriminate and inflict lasting physical and emotional harm… the hate crime data report shows us statistically what we already know; that we who work in our communities know to be true from our lived experience; that hate crimes are up.”

Bonta added that reporting hate crimes can be uncomfortable, so there may be hate crimes and victims not accounted for by the data.

Bonta said the Department of Justice is working to fight hate crimes through roundtable discussions and community outreach, identifying hate crimes and meeting with leaders to come up with solutions. In May, Bonta denounced such acts at a roundtable in Orange County, on the one-year anniversary of a hate-motivated shooting at a Taiwanese church in Laguna Woods.

“Hate is not new, and fortunately neither is rallying together in solidarity,” he said.

Attorney General Rob Bonta and community leaders speaks at a conference announcing the Department of Justice’s latest Hate Crimes in California report on Tuesday, June 27 at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles. (Courtesy photo)

Sunitha Menon and community leaders speaks at a conference announcing the Department of Justice’s latest Hate Crimes in California report on Tuesday, June 27 at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles. (Courtesy photo)

Senior Rabbi Ken Chasen and community leaders speaks at a conference announcing the Department of Justice’s latest Hate Crimes in California report on Tuesday, June 27 at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles. (Courtesy photo)

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Ken Chasen, the Senior Rabbi of Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, said that an increase in antisemitic acts should remind the community that it is urgent and necessary to create a safe and inclusive state.

“Whenever a society permits any minority population to be targeted with hate, all minority populations will be targeted with hate,” Chasen said. “We will not combat this scourge of hate by dividing from one another in parochial self-interest. The way to stop the hatred is to band together as never before, to declare shoulder to shoulder that there is no place for hate in the state of California.”

Sunitha Menon, managing director of operations of Equality California, said that while the lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and transgender community celebrates their identity — they are still frequent targets of attacks, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric.

“It is never one bill in session, one post on social media, or just one elected official speaking against our community,” Menon said. “The domino effect is clear, and we cannot allow this behavior to continue and put lives at risk.”

Any victim or witness to a hate incident or crime in California can report and receive bilingual support online at www.cavshate.org, or by calling (833) 866-4283 or 833-8-NO-HATE; available Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm.

Outside of those hours, you can leave a voicemail, or call 211 to report hate and seek support in over 200 languages.

L.A. County has a confidential hotline — 211 — where people can report hate crimes and incidents, resources and support. Those in Orange County can report online or through the county’s confidential hotline, 714-480-6580.

For more information on hate crimes and resources, visit oag.ca.gov/hatecrimes.

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Orange County Register

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Hate crimes in California rose 20% in 2022, report says

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