Hate crimes saw a significant surge in Orange County in 2022 compared to the previous year, particularly within county schools, as per the annual report released by the OC Human Relations Commission, now known as Groundswell.
According to Alison Edwards, CEO of the commission, there has been a substantial increase in reports from schools. Edwards stated, “Anecdotally, we can say that it aligns with what we’ve heard from schools. They have expressed concerns about racial slurs on campus, which is reflected in the report.”
Edwards added that a study conducted last year revealed that “the polarizing and vitriolic speech of adults is influencing young people, and they are imitating it, which translates to school campuses.”
The report found a 67% increase in hate crimes in 2022 compared to the previous year, while hate incidents (which don’t meet the criteria for a crime) decreased by 4%. Over the past five years, there has been a 75% increase in hate crimes and a 142% increase in hate incidents, according to the report.
“Although we continue to observe the targeting of the Black and Jewish communities, we are not surprised to see a 126% increase (from 2021-2022) in hate crimes targeting the LGBTQ+ community, given the national rhetoric surrounding them,” said Edwards. “It’s worth noting that the county remains committed to tracking this information. We sincerely hope that community leaders will continue to denounce hate and provide support to these communities, who face increasing levels of discrimination locally and elsewhere.”
The report highlighted a 178% increase in bigotry in schools compared to 2021.
Regarding hate crimes reported in the county in 2021, 53% targeted victims based on race, ethnicity, and national origin. Motivated by religion, the percentage was 32, while sexual orientation accounted for 15% of cases.
For race-based hate crimes, 52% of the victims were Black, indigenous, or people of color. Antisemitism motivated 43% of the cases, anti-Christian sentiment accounted for 34%, and anti-Latino prejudice was present in 19% of cases, according to the report.
The most frequently reported hate crimes include graffiti or vandalism (41%), physical assault (19%), and threats (17%). Additionally, 85% of hate crime offenders are men, comprising 73 men and 13 women.
Among reports indicating the age of the attackers, the age range was mostly between 26 and 40. In terms of race, 46% of attackers were white and 36% were Latino, based on 97 reports.
The report reveals that hate crimes increased from 97 in 2021 to 162 in 2022, marking a 67% increase. Race-related crimes escalated by 78%, religious-based attacks by 193%, sexual orientation offenses by 24%, anti-Black assaults by 138%, and anti-Latino attacks doubled.
Hate incidents without a criminal element decreased from 301 in 2021 to 288 in 2022, a 4% decline. However, hate incidents on school campuses increased from 41 to 103, reflecting a significant 151% rise.
Racial incidents increased by 40% from 113 to 158, religion-based bias decreased by 10% from 86 to 77, sexual orientation incidents rose by 161% from 18 to 47, and online incidents increased from 7 to 25.
Among the school-based incidents, there were six in elementary schools, 50 in middle schools and junior highs, 32 in high schools, five on college campuses, and 10 with unknown locations.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office reported that 37 hate crime cases were referred for prosecution, with charges filed in 16 of them.
“Of the 19 cases rejected for hate crimes, either non-hate crime charges were filed or the case was rejected entirely due to insufficient evidence to prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” said District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Two other cases were under review at the time of this report’s publishing deadline.”
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