February 17, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Trump and Hate Crimes: Big Rise Likely Only the Start

By Tom Elias

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hate crimes are on the rise in California and there are strong hints the increase stems in part from President Trump’s habit of using racial slurs like the “Pocahontas” tag he likes to apply to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and the travel bans he’s imposed on citizens of several Muslim countries.

There were also Trump’s call for a wall separating this country from Mexico and his claim that vast numbers of Latino illegal immigrants are criminals and rapists.

The latest FBI hate crime statistics cover only 2016, not even including an apparent rise in white supremacist activity that’s been reported less formally since Trump refused to outright condemn the neo-Nazi-tinged rally that turned fatal last summer in Charlottesville, VA.

Even the FBI’s numbers are far from complete, as they are based on reporting only from cities and counties that volunteer information. Many don’t bother reporting.

There is also no proof that Trump’s rhetoric and tweets caused the hate crime spike, but there is a definite correlation of the increases with his remarks.

Most striking in the California numbers stemming from 733 police and sheriff’s departments in all parts of the state is the rise of almost 100 hate crimes, or 11.7 percent, over the previous year, 2015. Perhaps even more important to anyone looking for a trend was a rise of 9 percent in the month of November 2016, the month of Trump’s election victory.

The numbers show increases in both race-based crimes and in those targeting gender. The biggest increases were in anti-Latino, anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT crimes.

If there’s any parallel here to previous California hate crime spikes, it’s to the period just before and after Proposition 187 passed in 1994, seeking to deprive undocumented immigrants of all government services, from public schooling to emergency room care. The hot political rhetoric of that time also saw an upswing in crimes targeting Latinos, regardless of either their immigration status or of how long their families had been in California.

Most hate crimes, as usual, occurred in or near large cities, with most hate crimes in San Francisco against gays, while in Los Angeles a wave of incidents targeted Jews, Muslims and African-Americans.

Reported hate crimes linked to white supremacists in Los Angeles County jumped from 63 in 2015 to 105 last year, about two-thirds more than the previous year’s number. They have been most common in poorer communities like Cudahy, according to an annual survey by that county’s Human Relations commission.

That commission also found African Americans the most frequently targeted group in Southern California, often the victims of white supremacists. But the danger to transgender individuals also increased sharply, with 39 reported crimes hitting them compared with 22 the year before, a 77 percent increase.

The increases were just as sharp in Northern California, where hate crimes almost tripled in Santa Clara County, from 14 to 39, with San Jose hit the most. Of that city’s 24 reported hate crimes, 15 were based on race and ethnicity, seven were religious and two involved sexual orientation. San Jose’s total was triple its 2015 number.

The increases in crimes based on race and ethnicity, from swastikas on synagogues and mosques to physical attacks on gays, are too striking and too ubiquitous in California’s population centers to have been spurred by anything other than the not-quite-hateful, but still race-suggestive rhetoric that suffused television and the Internet at the times when these crimes increased the most.

It would be the height of naiveté to gloss over this reality. California learned in 1994 and 1995 that hateful political advertising coincided with a sharp rise in hate and hate crimes against the same or similar groups to those referenced in the ads.

The 2016 numbers – more dramatically increased than in any one year since the 1990s – appear to demonstrate that this type of politics is no more benign today than 20 years ago.

And until the numbers for 2017 come in sometime near the end of next year, no one will know the exact effect the Trump presidency has had on them. But it’s a safe bet we will see even more dramatic increases than last year’s.

Related Posts

(Video) Enjoy Beach Proximity and Prime Amenities at Ocean View Hotel

February 17, 2025

February 17, 2025

For More Info, Go To Oceanviewsantamonica.com For More Info, Go To https://t.co/RmxV3mgYCs pic.twitter.com/30oSvl7Zvf — Westside Today (@WestsideLAToday) February 17, 2025

Deadly Stabbing Outside Popular Santa Monica Bar on Saturday

February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025

One Man Killed, Another Injured in Early Morning Attack The Bungalow, a popular restaurant and bar in Santa Monica, was...

Iconic Gloria Vanderbilt Estate Hits the Market for the First Time in 72 Years

February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025

Historic Beverly Hills Mansion With Star-Studded Past Listed at $16.5 Million For the first time in 72 years, the historic...

Melrose Avenue Businesses Forced to Close After Floodwaters Inundate Stores

February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025

Heavy Rains Turned Melrose Avenue Into a River, Causing Severe Damage  Heavy rainfall in the Fairfax District caused flooding on...

State Farm Faces Scrutiny Over Emergency Rate Hike Request From State Official

February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025

Commissioner Lara Demands Answers on Financial Stability and Consumer Impact California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has responded to State Farm’s...

UCLA Suspends Pro-Palestinian Student Groups Following Protest at UC Regent’s Home

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Chancellor Cites Potential Student Code Violations; Student Groups Reject Allegations UCLA has suspended two pro-Palestinian student organizations following a protest...

Flash Flood Warning Issued for Burn Areas, LAFD Officer Swept off Road by Debris

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Storm Damage Closes Pacific Coast Highway, Officials Urge Caution Not even members of the LAFD are being spared from the...

Culver City Police Investigate Disturbing Incident in Culver City Park

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Police Secure Area as Investigation Unfolds on Thursday Morning The Culver City Police Department received a call around 7:23 a.m....

Here are Your Last Minute Ideas if You Still Haven’t Planned Your Valentine’s Day Date

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Luscious Cookies, Delightful Drinks, Full Dinners at Home or In House, We’ve Got Them Okay, maybe you have been a...

Beloved Baldwin Hills Family-Owned Restaurant Post & Beam to Close After 13 Years

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Community Icon Shuts Doors as Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Redevelopment  In yet another loss for the Los Angeles culinary community,...

Santa Monica Hotel Event Space Offers Affordability, Accessibility

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Elevate Your Events with Versatile Venues and Exceptional Service Coastal stays and eclectic event spaces don’t have to be expensive....

Flour Pizzeria & Cafe to Bring Brooklyn-Style Pizza to Brentwood This Week

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Family-Owned Favorite from the Palisades to Open on San Vicente  Flour Pizzeria & Cafe, a restaurant from Pacific Palisades run...

(Video) The Willows Students Bring a 50-Foot Dragon to Life Through Art and Teamwork

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Kristy Acero, The Willows DK-4th Grade Art teacher, led her students in a large-scale, collaborative project, with each grade creating...

ART& 2025: NeueHouse Unveils Inspiring Lineup Celebrating Feminine Leadership

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Four-Day Event in Venice Beach Explores Creativity, Activism, and Cultural Impact NeueHouse has unveiled the schedule for ART& 2025, a...

LA Attorney Who Represented Rodney King Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion Scheme

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

Milton C. Grimes Ordered To Serve Time in Prison and Pay Restitution Milton C. Grimes, a longtime Los Angeles attorney,...