L.A. County Sees Uptick in Hate Crimes

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Reported hate crimes in Los Angeles County increased by 15 percent in 2011 from the previous year, but the total is the second lowest in 22 years, according to the county Commission on Human Relations' annual report released Wednesday.

According Lt. David Reynoso, from the Baldwin Park Police there were two hate crime incidents in Baldwin Park. In both cases the target victims were african american.

The commission defines a hate crime as one where hatred or prejudice toward a victim's race or ethnicity, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation was a substantial factor in the crime.

According to the 2011 Hate Crime Report, there were 489 reported hate crimes countywide last year, an increase of 62 from the previous year.

"There are real victims -- these are our friends, family and neighbors,'' said commission Executive Director Robin Toma.

According to the report, there was a case in La Puente in which an 18 year-old black male at a house party was assaulted by a group of 15 Latino suspects, who used racial slurs. The suspects were reportedly from the West Covina Project Ghetto Boys gang.

All of San Gabriel Valley, including Alhambra, San Gabriel, Altadena, Irwindale, La Puente, Pasadena, Pomona, El Monte, Azusa, San Dimas and Baldwin Park accounted 39 cases. The San Gabriel Valley have one of the lowest rate of hate crime.

About 50 percent of all the crimes were race-based, with 60 percent of those targeting blacks.

The report showed that 65 percent of racially motivated crimes against blacks were committed by Latinos, and 41 percent of racially motivated crimes targeting Latinos were committed by blacks.

Crimes based on sexual orientation remained at about the same level as the previous year -- 25 percent of all of the hate crimes -- but were more likely to be violent than either racial- or religious-related hated crimes.

Religious crimes, which were primarily anti-Semitic in nature, rose 24 percent.

"It is disturbing that reported hate crimes in Los Angeles County are once again increasing after several years of decline,'' said Amanda Susskind, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights group with a focus on documenting and fighting anti-Semitism.

The highest rate of hate crimes took place in the San Fernando Valley, followed by the metro region stretching from West Hollywood to Boyle Heights. The Antelope Valley and the southeastern portion of the county had the lowest
rates.

The commission's report was generated from data collected from sheriff and city police departments, school districts and community groups.

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