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Hate crimes in L.A. highest in 10 years, with LGBTQ and African Americans most targeted, CSUSB study showsLos Angeles TimesJan. 31, 2019Los Angeles recorded its highest level of reports of hate crimes in a decade, with a nearly 13 percent increase in 2018 over the year before. Last year, L.A. tallied 289 hate crimes, compared with 256 in 2017, according to LAPD statistics gathered by researchers at Cal State San Bernardino. Members of the LGBTQ community, African Americans and those of Jewish faith were the most frequently targeted, according to the newly released report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Center Executive Director Brian Levin said as Los Angeles’ population has shifted, many of the accused perpetrators of hate crimes are not white. Levin said L.A., Chicago, Philadelphia and New York saw a bump in hate crimes near the November midterm elections. New York reported a 6 percent increase, while Chicago jumped 26 percent. The statistics are only reported crimes and may not reflect the full extent of hate crimes in a community, Levin said. Levin, a former New York police officer, said the continued growth of hate crimes may reflect an increasingly polarized nation. “The day after the 2016 election was the worst day for hate crimes since 2003,” he said. Read the complete article at “Hate crimes in L.A. highest in 10 years, with LGBTQ and African Americans most targeted.”
Attack on actor Jussie Smollet is one of several similar instances of hate crimes in recent years, CSUSB professor saysKCBS Radio San FranciscoFeb. 1, 2019 A segment on the assault on actor Jussie Smollet that some say was motivated by hate included an interview with Kevin Grisham, assistant director of research for the CSUSB Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, and the center’s latest study that showed an increase in hate crimes in the five largest cities in the U.S. The incident in Chicago involving Smollet is just one of several instances of hate crimes in the past few years, Grisham said. “We all know we live in a very highly polarized time, and so I think you’re seeing some of that,” Grisham said.Listen to the segment at “Attack on actor Jussie Smollet is one of several similar instances of hate crimes in recent years, CSUSB professor says.”
Demographic shifts and polarized political rhetoric cited in latest report showing increase in hate crimesKNX Radio Los AngelesFeb. 1, 2019 Kevin Grisham, assistant director of research for the CSUSB Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, was interviewed about the center’s latest study that showed a 13 percent increase in hate crimes from 2017 to 2018 in Los Angeles. Shifting demographics and polarized politics might have played a role in the increase, Grisham said, as well as better reporting of hate incidents. Listen to the segment at “Demographic shifts and polarized political rhetoric cited in latest report showing increase in hate crimes.”
Hate crimes in major U.S. cities rise for fifth year in a row, CSUSB study showsVOA NewsJan. 31, 2019 An article about a suspected hate-fueled assault on actor Jussie Smollet in Chicago recently included the latest hate-crime report from Cal State San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.The attack comes as hate crimes in major U.S. cities such as Chicago rose for the fifth consecutive year last year, fueled in large part by attacks on African-Americans and Jews, according to preliminary police department data from around the country. There were a total of 905 bias incidents in nine of the 10 largest U.S. cities last year, up 12 percent from 2017, according to data compiled by the Center for Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. Brian Levin, director of the center, said that while the overall hate crime figures for 2018 could change as more data come in, the trend in bias-motivated incidents in the U.S. remains up.'We're seeing an unmistakable trend of increases,' Levin said. Last year's increase in hate crimes 'shows that we're in a new era that started four or five years ago.' Read the complete article at “Hate crimes in major U.S. cities rise for fifth year in a row, data show.”
CSUSB professor interviewed for article about slur used against Mexican-AmericansNBC NewsFeb. 1, 2019 Many people of Mexican descent can vividly describe the moment they heard the epithet 'beaner.' As a child or a young adult, it stung. To them, it said: 'You’re not American, and you never will be.' While its use seemed to have been waning, the word has popped up in the news recently. Such uses of 'beaner' are particularly troubling at a moment when hate crimes against Latinos have been rising. According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, anti-Latino hate crime increased 176 percent in major U.S. cities in the three weeks after the 2016 presidential election. 'In the period around election time, the group that saw the highest percentage increase of attacks were Latinos,' said Brian Levin, director of the center, who has not researched the use of 'beaner' specifically. Read the complete article at “The worst slur for Mexican-Americans is still a mystery for some.”
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