Topline
The number of hate crimes reported in California increased by nearly one-third in 2021 to reach the highest level in 20 years, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday, saying the figure was driven by an “epidemic of hate” that emerged during the coronavirus pandemic.
William Guo, left, Francis Kwok, Henry Lei, right, all of Alameda, and about a thousand … [+]
Key Facts
Some 1,763 hate crimes were reported to California authorities last year, up 32.6% from 1,330 the previous year, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the California Department of Justice.
It’s the highest figure recorded since shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the number of reports skyrocketed to 2,261, led by a jump in crimes targeting people of Arab or Middle Eastern descent.
Reports of anti-Asian crime in California increased the most dramatically last year, more than doubling from 89 in 2020 to 247 in 2021, while crimes targeting Hispanic or Latinos increased 29.6% from 152 in 2020 to 197 in 2021.
Hate crimes targeting Black people remained the most common type of crime reported, and rose 12.5% from 456 in 2020 to 513 in 2021.
Among religiously motivated hate crimes, anti-Jewish bias events were the most prevalent and increased 32.2% from 115 in 2020 to 152 in in 2021.
The report found crimes committed over the victim’s sexual orientation also jumped significantly, rising 47.8% between 2020 and 2021, according to the report.
Crucial Quote
“Today’s report undeniably shows that the epidemic of hate we saw spurred on during the pandemic remains a clear and present threat,” Bonta said in a statement.
Key Background
Last year, an August report from the FBI–the most recently available one of its kind–found that 7,759 hate crimes were reported nationwide in 2020, the highest figure recorded since 2008. Polls and studies indicate that crimes committed against Asian Americans are the fastest growing kind of hate crime. Last year, a nationwide poll found 71% of Asian American respondents said they felt anti-Asian discrimination had increased over the previous year. In California, a hate crime is defined as a criminal act committed at least partly because of a victim’s actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or over their association with someone with one or more of those actual or perceived characteristics, according to the California Department of Justice, which said Tuesday that hate crimes are typically underreported.
Further Reading
Most Asian Americans Feel Unsafe In Public Amid Rising Hate, New Poll Suggests (Forbes)
Trump’s ‘Chinese Virus’ Tweet Helped Fuel Anti-Asian Hate On Twitter, Study Finds (Forbes)
Hate Crimes In U.S. Reach Highest Levels In 12 Years, FBI Says (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/06/28/california-hate-crimes-hit-20-year-high-in-2021-driven-by-covid-era-pandemic-of-hate/