In 2021, L.A. County saw the highest number of hate crimes reported since 2002, the year following the 9/11 attacks that sparked a wave of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiment. The L.A. County Commission on Human Relations documented 786 hate crimes reports, a 23% increase from 2020.
The increase continues an upward trend in recorded hate crimes against people of color, Jewish people, and the LGBTQ community.
Nearly three-quarters of the hate crimes were violent — mostly assaults. Black people were the largest group of hate crime victims — they comprised nearly half of all people targeted because of their race even though they make up just 9% of the county’s population.
Ninety-six hate crimes included evidence of a white supremacist ideology on the part of the attacker — down 19% from 2020.
“This decline is surprising given that in the past few years, many white nationalist organizations have felt emboldened to hold public events (e.g. the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville) and brazenly attack counter-protesters,” the report states.
Supervisor Janice Hahn called the numbers alarming, and said the report reflected a “hate crisis.”
Commission Executive Director Robin Toma added that only about half of all hate crimes are reported to law enforcement. “You can be confident that these numbers greatly understate what’s happening in our communities,” he said.
