Hate crimes in Los Angeles County were reported 45% more in 2023 than in 2022, according to an annualized report from the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations.
The 1,350 reported hate crimes in 2023 are the most in the history of the report, which has been commissioned since 1980, surpassing the 1,031 in 2001 that were reported in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The LACCHR says it compiles the results from data submitted by more than 100 law enforcement agencies, educational institutions and community-based organizations.
The commission noted that part of the reason for the surge was the fact that it’s now easier to report such crimes without directly going to police, due to services like LAvsHate.org and 211. Those services were responsible for more than 50 reports in 2023.
The willingness to report crimes now, compared to times passed, may also contribute to the record number, officials said.
“Although the numbers reported today are unprecedented for multiple communities throughout LA County, they signal that more people are coming forward to report hate crimes and are refusing to accept the normalization of hate,” said Helen Chin, President of the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations. “The anti-hate programs led by our commission provide L.A. County residents with a system where people can report hate and receive help. By standing together, we can extinguish hate and discrimination in every community and reinforce that hate and discrimination have no place here.”
Here are the findings from the report, per the LACCHR:
- Reported hate crimes dramatically increased 45% from 930 in 2022 to 1,350 in 2023, the largest number in the history of this report and surpassing the 1,031 hate crimes from 2001 when the September 11th attacks occurred.
- There were 99 anti-transgender crimes, representing a 125% increase. This is the largest number ever documented. A staggering 97% of these crimes were violent.
- Religious crimes spiked 90% and were the second largest motivation. Anti-Jewish hate crimes rose 91% from 127 to 242. This is the largest number of anti-Jewish crimes ever recorded.
- African Americans were again grossly over-represented in reported racial hate crimes, constituting 49% of racial hate crime victims. The 320 anti-Black crimes were the highest number ever recorded.
- Anti-LGBT* crimes rose 48% from 173 to 256. This was the largest number ever documented. 73% of these crimes targeted gay men.
- Anti-Latino/a crimes rose 19% from 121 to 144. This is the highest number ever recorded. Racial crimes targeting Latino/as were the most violent (87%) of all racial and ethnic groups.
- Anti-Asian crimes, after dipping the year prior, increased 31%. The 80 victims were the second highest number ever recorded.
- In 2023, there were 209 crimes with evidence of White supremacist ideology, and this was the highest number ever recorded in this report. They comprised 15% of all reported hate crimes.
- 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.
- Crimes in which there was specific language regarding conflict in the Middle East sharply increased from 2 to 64 in 2023 and accounted for 5% of all hate crimes. This is the largest number ever recorded since we began tracking this phenomenon in 2007.
- Hate crimes taking place at schools grew 46% from 93 to 136 and accounted for 10% of all hate crimes. Over half (57%) of hate crimes that occurred in schools were motivated by race, ethnicity, or national origin.
- There were sharp increases in hate crimes based on gender (142% increase), religious (90%), and sexual orientation (48% increase) hate crimes. Race, ethnicity, and national origin was by far the most common motivation, constituting 45% of all hate crimes. These crimes jumped 18%, from 547 to 646.
- 65% of reported hate crimes were of a violent nature compared to 72% the year prior. Vandalisms surpassed violent simple assaults, creating a drop in the percentage of violent crimes.
- The largest number of hate crimes took place in the Metro Region which stretches from West Hollywood to Boyle Heights followed by the San Fernando Valley.
