hate crimes

Persistent Threat: Two Years After Buffalo Massacre, Hate Crimes Targeting Black Community Show No Signs of Abating

In addition to Ruth Whitfield, 86, the other victims were Roberta Drury, 32; retired Buffalo police officer Aaron Salter Jr., 55; Heyward Patterson, 67; Pearl Young, 77; Geraldine Talley, 62; Celestine Chaney, 65; Black Press journalist Katherine “Kat” Massey, 72; Margus Morrison, 52; and Andre Mackniel, 53.

Federal Government Providing Nearly $80 million to Combat Violent Crime in U.S.

In addition to the investments, Garland unveiled plans to deploy federal resources and prosecutors to cities disproportionately affected by violent crime, including St. Louis, Missouri; Jackson, Mississippi; and Hartford, Connecticut. He said the targeted deployments aim to support local law enforcement agencies and enhance collaboration in tackling crime hotspots.

California vs. Hate Resource Line Enters Second Year of Service

The California vs. Hate Resource Line, established to assist victims of hate crimes and hate incidents in the Golden State, received 823 calls from 79% of California’s 58 counties during its first nine months of operation. The telephone line’s first anniversary is in May.  

Bullying in California: In Some School Districts, Black Students Are Being Targeted by Their Latino Peers

On Feb. 16, 2022, a Black student in the Santa Barbara Unified School District was assaulted by Latino students. His attackers called him the n-word and kneeled on his neck while repeatedly, chanting the name “George Floyd.” A district-wide acknowledgment of the hate crime was not sent out until Feb. 22, of that year. 

Report: Anti-Black Hate Crimes Surge 27% Higher

According to state data released in August, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that hate crimes involving racism against Black people surged last year compared with 2021 data, including instances of violence motivated by bias.

To Address Rising Hate, More Focus on Prevention and Crimes It Triggers

When hip hop icon and fashion designer Kanye West wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with “WHITE LIVES MATTER” emblazoned on the backside in white block letters at his Yeezy fashion show in Paris on Oct. 3, it started a national conversation on racism that intensified four days later when West broadcast on Twitter that he was going to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” in a since deleted tweet.

Incidents of Hate Crimes Against Blacks Highest in California  

A report released by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) last month revealed that hate crimes targeting Black people in the state “remain the most prevalent” violations regarding a recent increase in violence motivated by race. 

Black Californians Are the Number One Target of Hate Crimes

Miya Ponsetto, the Piru, California woman who falsely accused a Black teenager of stealing her phone at a New York City Hotel in December 2020, has been charged with a hate crime.
Two Californian men have been charged with a hate crime in Oregon for allegedly assaulting a Black gas station attendant.
A Berkeley woman was charged with a hate crime after she allegedly harassed a Black Amazon delivery driver, shouting racial slurs at him and physically stopping his attempts to escape the confrontation.

Biden Administration to Appoint Kristen Clarke to Key Civil Rights Post

Clarke’s appointment adds even more diversity to an incoming administration that has kept its campaign promise to ensure that top staff and cabinet members reflect all of America. “Our first-rate nominees to lead the Justice Department are eminently qualified, embody character and judgment that is beyond reproach, and have devoted their careers to serving the American people with honor and integrity,” Biden said in a statement.

Los Angeles County Launches ‘L.A. VS Hate’ Campaign to Challenge Hate Crime Increase

From January through July, the 2-1-1 hotline received 256 calls reporting hate. In response the County is launching the ‘L.A. VS Hate’ Campaign. It is a 3-part strategy to bring the County under one mission of unity, create a system to make reporting hate crime easier, and finally to expand the capacity to act when faced with a hate crime. The campaign uses art inspired programs to uplift the unity in a diversified community. Artists are invited to participate in creative interventions to share a common passion with all residents.