Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Hate Crimes Down Overall But Up Against Lesbians And Transgender People
Overall, hate crimes in L.A. are down 17 percent (Photo by lazyllama via Shutterstock)
()
And now for some good news: hate crimes decreased by 17 percent in Los Angeles in 2013. This number comes from the L.A. County Commission of Human Relations (LACCHR), which analyzes reported hate crimes in L.A. every year. There were 384 reported hate crimes in 2013, down from 462 the year prior, according to a release. Those numbers are also the lowest they've been in 24 years.
The best fact from the report is that there were no murders or attempted murders classified as hate crimes, something that hasn't been true in the past decade. Additionally, serious physical assaults or assaults with deadly weapons dropped 38 percent.
Another good thing is that there are less young people committing these crimes. While juveniles once made up the largest group of perpetrators of hate crimes (40 percent in 2006), they're now the smallest group at 14 percent.
Of all the hate crimes, 82 percent involved victims from four groups: African-Americans, gay men and lesbians, Latinos and Jews. While this has generally been true over the years, there is some good news: hate crimes targeting gay men have dropped 41 percent, and crimes targeting Jews have dropped 48 percent. But, it's not all good news and not every group has seen a decline in aggression. Attacks on lesbians, transgender people, Asians, Middle Easterners and Protestants have all increased. There were 25 attacks against lesbians, up from 11 the previous year, while there were 19 reported attacks against transgender people, up from 13. There has also been no change in the number of anti-immigrant slurs used in the commission of crimes—there were 15 reported both in 2013 and 2012.
Support for LAist comes from
Antelope Valley had the most hate crimes once the numbers were adjusted for population, followed by metro Los Angeles.
And of course, this doesn't account for unreported hate crimes or crimes that haven't been classified as hate crimes. And in no way does this report diminish the horrific hate crimes that have occurred—384 total is still at least one hate crime a day.
We wrote about some alleged hate crimes from 2013 that include the home of an African-American family nearly destroyed and covered in swastikas, a transwoman beaten on her way home from work and gang members driving a black family out of Compton. Past reports from previous years are available here.
Related:
Hate Crimes Rose 15 Percent In County, The Valley Appears Particularly Hateful (2012)
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Wasteland Weekend is all about souped-up rust buckets, spikey costumes and an ‘ideal apocalypse.’ -
The Shadow the Scientists initiative at UC Santa Cruz strives to demystify astronomical research. -
Some submissions to the Pasadena Humane Society were made by extremely talented artists. The others … tried their best. -
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning.
Best of LAist