Hate crimes rise to highest level in 43 years in LA County

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LOS ANGELES – Reported hate crimes in Los Angeles County rose to their highest level in 43 years in 2023, jumping 45 percent from the previous year, according to a survey released Wednesday by the county Commission on Human Relations.

The report found 1,350 reported hate crimes in the county last year, up from 930 the prior year. That number is the highest it’s been since the annual analysis began in 1980.

Hate crimes documented last year grew to a peak, setting multiple records for highest counts of targeted groups — Blacks, Asians, Jewish people, Latino/Latinas, LGBT individuals and transgender people — and included the highest recorded counts for anti-immigrant slurs, Middle East conflict related crimes and crimes with evidence of White  supremacist ideology.

“Hate crimes don’t just target individuals — they harm entire communities,” county Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said during a news conference Wednesday.

“They are an attack on the very fabric of who we are, and the shared values that unite us. By analyzing the patterns and trends in hate crimes, we can better understand where our efforts need to be focused and how we can prevent such acts in the future.”

Among the report’s findings:

— A 125% increase in anti-transgender crimes, the largest climb ever documented. Nearly all the crimes were violent;

— A 90% spike in religious crimes, with anti-Jewish hate crimes rising 91% from 127 to 242. It is the largest number of anti-Jewish crimes ever recorded by the commission;

— Blacks were again grossly over-represented in reported hate crimes, constituting 49% of victims. The 320 anti-Black crimes were the highest number ever reported;

— Anti-LGBT crimes rose 48% from 173 to 256, the largest number ever documented. Nearly 75% of the crimes targeted gay men;

— Anti-Latino/Latina crimes rose 19% from 121 to 144. That’s the highest number ever recorded by the commission. Racial crimes targeting that group were the most violent — at 87% — of all racial and ethnic groups; and

— Anti-Asian crimes, after dipping the year prior, increased 31%. The 80 victims were the second highest number ever recorded.

Other findings include 209 crimes with evidence of White supremacist ideology, the highest number ever recorded in the report.

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Also, hate crimes in which anti-immigrant slurs were used climbed 31 percent.

The 123 crimes recorded in 2023 comprised the largest number ever recorded.

Suspects used anti-immigrant language in 71 percent of anti-Latino/a crimes and in 18% of anti-Asian offenses, the report determined.

Crimes in which there was specific language regarding conflict in the Middle East sharply increased from 2 to 64 in 2023 and accounted for 5 percent of all hate crimes. It is the largest number recorded since the county began tracking the phenomenon in 2007, officials said.

“By standing together, we can extinguish hate and discrimination in every community and reinforce that hate and discrimination have no place here,” said Helen Chen, president of the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations.

Robin Toma, executive director of the commission, said that the increase in hate crimes is a reflection of nationwide trends. She urged people to speak up, report hate crimes, and build solidarity.

The largest number of reported hate crimes took place in the Metro region, stretching from West Hollywood to Boyle Heights, followed by the San Fernando Valley.

“We know that there are still far too many incidents that go unreported, which is why the data from this annual report is critical for improving our strategies and shared responsibility to respond to and help prevent all forms of hate,” county Supervisor Holly Mitchell said.

Meanwhile, the county’s new district attorney, Nathan Hochman, said he was deeply troubled by the report’s findings.

“Hate has no place in our society, and those who engage in hate crimes should know that they will be held fully accountable for it,” he said Wednesday.

The complete report can be viewed at hrc.lacounty.gov. (CNS)