A record number of hate crimes in LA County were reported in 2023, according to a report released Wednesday by the county’s Human Relations Commission, the highest count since the commission began recording such incidents.
The 1,350 hate crimes reported were up from 930 in 2022, a 45% increase.
“I will tell you that I was shocked to learn that and taken aback …,” said Robin Toma, Executive Director of the HRC. “However, when I thought about it, I realized that one of the things that is happening is that we are succeeding in a certain way in getting people to report hate.”
One reason for the spike is that more people are reporting hate crimes without the need to involve law enforcement.
“A lot of people who are the most vulnerable, because they’re immigrants, because they’re LGBTQ, for whatever reason they have a history of distrust because of a past experience with other police departments, maybe in other countries, it doesn’t matter. The point is that they’re just not willing to go to the police,” Toma said.
In LA County, hate crimes can be reported by calling 211 or by visiting LAvsHate.org. People can also go to the police to report hate crimes.
The largest number of reported hate crimes in 2023 were motivated by race, ethnicity or national origin, which accounted for almost half of all reported hate crimes. Religiously motivated hate crimes, which made up the second largest group, increased by 90%, from 153 in 2022 to 290 in 2023.
Crimes targeting Jewish people were the largest number ever reported and sharply increased by 91%, from 127 in 2022 and to 242 in 2023. The number of reported anti-Muslim crimes more than doubled from seven to 19.
Black people were significantly over-represented in the report’s findings, making up 49% of reported racial hate crimes. The 320 anti-Black crimes in 2023 were the highest number ever recorded.
Gender-motivated crimes, which include anti-transgender crimes, increased by 142%, making it the largest increase of any category. Out of the 99 reported anti-transgender crimes, 97% were violent.
The report showed that 65% of reported hate crimes were violent compared to 72% in 2022. Hate crimes involving vandalism surpassed violent assaults, leading to a decrease in the percentage of violent crimes.
The largest number of reported hate crimes occurred in the Metro Region, which spans from West Hollywood to Boyle Heights, and the San Fernando Valley.
Although the number of reported hate crimes is record- breaking it is likely an undercount. The U.S. Department of Justice has reported that more than half of all hate crimes go unreported.
“The rise in hate that we’re seeing is, first of all, part of a longterm trend that we’ve been seeing over the past 10 years, where there’s been no significant decline in hate year to year for this period of time. Never before seen in our 40-something year history of collecting this data,” Toma said.
The report analyzed data collected from more than 75 law enforcement agencies, school districts, and community-based organizations throughout the county.
Other findings include 209 crimes with evidence of White supremacist ideology, the highest number ever recorded in the report.
Also, hate crimes in which anti-immigrant slurs were used climbed 31%. The 123 crimes recorded in 2023 comprised the largest number ever recorded. Suspects used anti-immigrant language in 71% 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 two to 64 in 2023 and accounted for 5% 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.
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.
“We will protect your First Amendment right to say things that we either agree or disagree with to the fullest extent… but when words turn into illegal conduct when they become hate crimes, that’s where the DA’s office, where the sheriff’s office, where all law enforcement will say that illegal conduct will not be tolerated,” Hochman said.
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City News Service contributed to this report