By Daniella Masterson

It fills our social media feeds and dominates the news cycle.  From political leaders’ racist rhetoric to neighbors’ deadly intolerance, hate is rising.

“While we would like California to be an exception, hate, unfortunately, it has no borders,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Even California is not immune.”

Bonta recently held a press conference to address a new report on hate crimes.  The report reveals the dark side of the sunshine state framed by billion-dollar tourist attractions, sun-kissed beaches and snow-capped mountains.

Hate crimes in the state rose 20.2%  overall since the previous report.  In 2021, there were 1,763 hate crimes reported in California. In 2022, there were 2,120.

But the most surprising statistic is that hate crimes against African Americans have risen at a dangerous rate. There were 652 anti-black crimes “reported,” a rise of more than 27.1%, making African Americans one of the most targeted groups for violence.

*Crimes motivated by sexual orientation led to an increase of 29% and antitransgender events increased from 38%  in 2021 to 59% in 2022. “A huge jump,” Bonta said.

*Anti-Hispanic crimes rose from 197 in 2021 to 210 in 2022.

*Religious-based crimes are up with Antisemitism increasing the most at 24.3%.

*Anti-Asian hate events fell, but there were still 140 reported last year. “An all-time high,” Bonta said.

Hate crimes are motivated by an offender’s bias against race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. Other motivations include ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.

“Reporting a hate crime isn’t easy,” said Bonta. “It isn’t something people feel safe or comfortable doing. There’s more (hate crimes) that haven’t been reported.  These numbers only tell a part of the story,” he added.

Truly, these statistics only tell “a part of the story”

An alarming trend that hasn’t been reported enough is a surging  conflict between Black and Brown communities with Latinos flexing their power in numbers to violently attack African Americans, said Robert Saucedo, president, and CEO of Community Build.

“I wasn’t surprised to see that hate crimes were on the rise,” said Saucedo, attributing Donald Trump’s vitriolic rhetoric as a tipping point for racial polarization. “I just didn’t expect the rate of increase to be as high as it was.”

Saucedo was selected by Bonta to represent African Americans at the press conference.  Saucedo’s leadership is squarely planted in a shifting community. Community Build was founded in 1992 after the Los Angeles civil unrest by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Brenda Shokley, and a host of community organizations. The Leimert Park-based organization provides a myriad of services ranging from Gang Reduction and Youth Development Intervention to housing development and outreach to the homeless (For more info visit, www.communitybuildinc.org)

“The second issue I see (contributing to the rise of hate crimes) is that there is a lot of anti-Black crimes in schools where the population is majority Latino,” said Saucedo who said conversely, there is anti-Hispanic hate in schools with majority Black populations.

“What I’m seeing is school districts are ill-equipped to deal with solving antihate crimes against African Americans,” said Saucedo. “We’ve had several Black students’ families call us in which their kid might be the only one or one of a few African Americans in a mostly Latino school, and they are being beaten up or harassed, and the principal isn’t acting on it.

“(The principals are) not getting the police involved. They are acting like it’s nothing; like it’s just a school fight. But when the same thing happens (to a Hispanic student at a majority African American) school, they’re very punitive.”

An Afro-Latino, Saucedo said he is working to adopt school programs to teach Black and Brown students the shared history, from the early Afro-Latino settlers of Los Angeles like Pio Pico to the civil rights movement.

Another program working to stem hate is Forgiving For Living, Inc., founded by Wendy Gladney in 1999. The program’s mission is based on in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s nonviolent teachings which is summed up in his famous quote: “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  Forgiving for Living has been a guiding light for nearly 4,000 women and girls.

“We help at-risk girls between the ages of 13-18 overcome behavioral and mental health issues in addition to low self-esteem due to depression, abuse, and/or abandonment,” said Gladney. “The work we do is critical because so many of us have experienced or been exposed to hatred, and it is important to know how to combat it and deal with it in a civilized manner.”  For more information on Forgiving for Living, visit www.forgivingforliving.org

Reports to the CA vs Hate hotline can be made anonymously by calling (833) 866-4283, or 833-8-NO-HATE, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m..

To read the Hate Crime Report, go to chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Hate%20Crime%20In%20CA%202022f.pdf

This news story was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.