In 2020, a man was charged with a federal hate crime after he took a nine-inch knife and stabbed a Black man in the head, chest and stomach. As he was committing this heinous crime in the city of Santa Cruz, the man yelled out racial slurs at the alleged victim that he was attacking.
In 2021, another man, an East Los Angeles gang member, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for orchestrating the firebombing of the living quarters of Black American families in the housing complex they lived in.
According to the United States Department of Justice, the attacks were unprovoked.
“The defendant planned, coordinated, and led these racially-motivated attacks that targeted vulnerable families, including grandparents and infants, while they were sleeping peacefully in their own homes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pamela S. Karlan of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to prioritize the prosecution of hate-fueled violence.”
The Boyle Heights residents were targeted because they were Black and lived in the Ramona Gardens housing complex by this individual and his seven associates. Two of the victims were a mother and her infant baby. Justice officials labeled the acts as hate crimes and arrested and sentenced those involved in the crimes.
“The defendants in this case perpetrated hate crimes that targeted innocent victims in their homes simply because of their skin color,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison of the Central District of California. “These despicable acts are simply unacceptable in our society. We are committed to protecting everyone’s civil rights, and anyone who participates in this type of conduct will find that the federal government will marshal all of its resources to ensure they are brought to justice.”
The two occurrences of hate crimes being perpetrated against Black Americans are not isolated incidents. They are a pattern. And they happen more often than many people are aware of.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted life as usual here in the United States and on a global scale, the media coverage of hate crimes has largely centered around one particular ethnic group. Yet when it comes to hate violence, Black Americans have it far worse than anybody else, according to the California Department of Justice 2023 Annual Hate Crimes Report.
Black Americans make up 5.6 percent of the population in California. Yet when it comes to hate crimes, being Black means you’re at the top of the list. Anti-Black violence rule, according to the California Department of Justice 2023 Annual Hate Crimes Report.
When it comes to hate crimes because of their race, Black Americans are on the receiving end more than any other ethnic group, the report states.
To put things in proper perspective, being less than six percent of the state’s population, Black people lead the way for hate crimes because of their race.
Blacks accounted for 26.8 percent of hate crimes aimed at them because of the color of their skin. In comparison, Hispanics or Latinos make up 39 percent of the population in the states. Anti-Latino crime violence is at 15.4 percent.
Asian Americans account for nearly 25 percent of the population (24.69 percent). Anti-Asian hate sits at 14.3 percent. The total number of crimes based on race in 2023 was 1, 017, which represents 51 percent of all hate crimes committed in California.
Whites, comprising just over 58 percent of the population in the state, made up just 2.7 percent of race-based violence. On the other hand, there were 518 hate incidents committed against Black Americans during this period, which was a decrease from 652 anti-Black events in 2022.
The number of hate incidents against Latinos or Hispanics is holding at 199. Hate crimes against Asian Americans have risen in recent years and have reached 125 incidents.
The number of hate offenses against Black people totaled 609, far outdistancing crimes against Latinos (265) and Asian Americans (145).
Black Americans have the highest number of victims as well with 592 recorded individuals. Hispanics or Latinos make up only 261 such victims, while there were 143 Asian Americans victims of anti-hate.
Los Angeles County recorded 664 hate events and 748 offenses. Those events and offenses resulted in 744 victims. The number of suspects committing these crimes was tallied at 650. Not surprisingly, Los Angeles has more hate crime incidents than any other city in the county with 397 and 442 victims.
There were 679 hate crimes in the state of California referred for prosecution with just over 51 percent of those cases ending up with convictions. Hate crime offenses towards sexual orientation (476) and religion (453) fall behind the number of incidents carried out against Black Americans.
This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The Docusign Envelope ID: 2C42D148-FAFB-4BAB-AB17-CE718E0B9F51 The Compton Bulletin program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
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