Hate Crimes in California Increased 33% in 2021

Hate crimes in California motivated by racism, homophobia and religious violence surged by 33 percent in 2021, according to a California Department of Justice report.

The 1,763 hate crimes reported in 2021 mark the highest tally of hate crimes in the state since 2001, when 2,261 reactionary hate crimes were reported in California following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Associated Press reports.

Black people represented nearly 30 percent of all hate crime victims in incidents reported last year, climbing 13 percent compared to 2020 with 513 reported incidents and remaining the group most overrepresented among hate crime victims in the state.

Hate crimes motivated by homophobia increased nearly 50 percent with 303 total  incidents, while hate crimes against Asian Americans increased by 178 percent to 247 incidents. Hate crimes targeting Latinos and Jewish people each increased by over 30 percent, too.

Violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has increased across the country in the last two years, and in January, the mayor of San Francisco announced that the number of reported hate crimes against these groups in the city increased by nearly seven times, with nine victims in 2020 compared to 60 in 2021.

“One hard truth in our state, just as we see across the nation, is that the epidemic of hate we saw spurred on during the pandemic remains a clear and present threat,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta at a news conference.

“Each of these incidents represents an attack on a person, a neighbor, a family member, a fellow Californian.”