Hate Crimes Down in L.A. County, Higher Rates Reported Near West Hollywood

The Los Angeles County metro region, stretching from West Hollywood to Boyle Heights, was recorded second to Antelope Valley for the highest rate of hate crimes in 2010, according to the county Commission on Human Relations' annual report released Thursday.

A hate crime is described as one in which hatred or prejudice toward a victim's race or ethnicity, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation was a substantial factor in the crime.

The 2010 Hate Crime Report, which was generated from data collected from sheriff and city police departments, school districts and community groups, found 427 reported hate crimes countywide last year—a decline of 166 from the previous year, and the lowest level in 21 years.

Religious crimes, which were primarily anti-Semitic in nature, fell 17 percent in LA County, according to the report.

"The overall decline in hate crimes is a good trend, but it is still disturbing that the overwhelming majority of those motivated by religions in Los Angeles County, statewide and across the country are against Jews and Jewish institutions," said Amanda Susskind, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights group with a focus on documenting and fighting anti-Semitism.

The report showed that 51 percent of countywide crimes were race-based, with 53 percent of those targeting blacks. Fifty-nine percent of racially motivated crimes against blacks were committed by Latinos, and 68 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—27 percent of all of the hate crimes, but were more likely to be violent than either racial- or religious-related hate crimes.

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