Bias Crimes Increase In Seattle: Gays, African-Americans Most Targeted

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle police have seen uptick in reports of bias crimes over the first six months of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016, according to a new department report. The increase matches a nationwide trend where reports of bias or hate crimes have increased, but Seattle police attributed the 2017 increase to victims feeling more comfortable reporting a bias crime.

The department reported that bias crimes involving hateful language increased the most at 64 percent. The crimes most often happen at night between strangers, Seattle police reported.

“The first half of 2017 was characterized by a high level of interest in the community regarding hate crimes, as evidenced by the high rate of reporting in Seattle. I was contacted many times by people wanting to report incidents they had witnessed, or asking how they could help if they were to see someone being victimized,” Bias Crimes Coordinator Det. Beth Wareing said in a department blog post about the increase. “We rely on the community to stay involved and aware for our efforts in combating hate crimes to be successful. The community is our most valuable partner.”

Gays, blacks, and Jewish people were the top three groups affected by bias crime in Seattle, according to the report. Washington's malicious harassment law deals with crimes motivated by hatred toward a particular group.

There have been several notable incidents of bias in Seattle so far in 2017.

In February, the University of Washington's Glenn Hughes Theatre was vandalized with neo-Nazi posters. In March, a Capitol Hill synagogue was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti. In early May, a man pulled a pellet gun on two people in the Hillman City neighborhood and shouted anti-gay slurs at them. And in June, a rally against sharia law was held in Seattle; that rally was widely seen as anti-Islam.

Outside of Seattle, a Sikh man was shot in Kent in early March by an assailant who told him to "go back to your own country." Edmonds has seen a rash of graffiti incidents where swastikas and other hateful messages have been spray-painted on cars and property. Over the weekend, a gay couple in Bellevue found "KKK" scrawled in paint on their driveway, which the couple believes is retaliation for political signs in front of their home.

Image via Neal McNamara/Patch.com