FBI: Hate Crimes Target Blacks In 70 Percent Of Race-Based Cases

Blacks were the group most likely to be the targets of race-based hate crimes, according to a new federal report.

The report, compiled by the FBI's civil rights division, found that the large majority of racial bias crimes were "motivated by anti-black bias." Latinos were the targets of 66 percent of all hate crimes motivated by ethnicity or national origin. Jews were the targets of most crimes against religious groups, and most crimes against a particular sexual orientation or gender were motivated by "anti-homosexual male bias."

The number of hate crimes remained essentially flat between 2009 and 2010. There were 6,628 hate crimes reported in 2010, up very slightly from 6,604 in 2009. About 47 percent of all the reported hate crimes were racially motivated, with 20 percent motivated by religion, 19.3 percent motivated by sexual orientation, and 12.8 percent motivated by nationality.

"Almost a fourth of our 2010 civil rights caseload involved crimes motivated by a particular bias against the victim," said Eric Thomas, the bureau's civil rights chief in Washington. "We frequently worked these cases with state and local law enforcement to ensure that justice was done--whether at the state level or at the federal level."

The FBI said that because of the James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act, the bureau is making some changes to collect more information for bias crimes against a particular gender or gender identity and for crimes in which juveniles are targets. The law, which was signed by President Obama in 2009 and was meant to bolster and expand existing hate crimes laws. It is named after two of the most high profile victims of hate crimes in recent memory. Shepard was a college student who died in 1998 after being tortured and tied to a fence for being gay. That same year, Byrd, a black man in rural Texas was killed after being dragged behind a pickup truck for miles by a group of white supremacists. At the time of their killings, there were no hate crime laws in many states.

Comments

[tackleho]

07:05 PM on 12/05/2011

According to the FBI crime statistics, blacks comprise 12% of the population and 60% of the murders. In addition, blacks are responsible for the murder of other blacks 90% of the time. I pose this question, "Is it possible that the entire black community shares some responsibility for the disgraceful fact that 70% of black children are born illegitimitely?" Maybe dad needs to step up. Oh and don't go blaming low incomes either because the places where blacks kill the most are also the places where the average incomes are the highest (like Wash. DC). It's cultural, not just economic. Plenty of poor people don't commit crimes. And while we're at it, can we STOP BLAMING WHITES? Nobody anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ' 60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream. Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants. Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.
One man's opinion.

[nix28]

06:46 AM on 11/19/2011

It's always funny to read comments in this section, because there is undoubtedly people that want you to completely ignore facts and listen to their unsubstantiated opinions. Mind you, when the facts point in their favor, they throw them around like banners. It is what it is. As much as some may not like it, this country was built on the enslavement and oppression of minorities, and when legislation did away with enslavement, racism was still alive and well. In a country where we've seen documented proof of the brutalities visited upon minorities at the hands of the majority (Emmet Till or James Byrd, Jr or James Anderson are 3 examples out of many), is it truly that hard to understand the truth of these statistical findings? Call me crazy, but any time a person of color commits an atrocious crime against the majority, it's blasted across the national news (Eve Carson). And when minorities fight back against discrimination or violence visited upon them by the majority, they are the ones that are punished (Jena 6). It may be a hard pill to swallow, given that there are those of the majority that wish to maintain their racism (and this can be found in minorities as well), but these statistics are not false just because it puts a dent in your prejudicial beliefs.

[Supreme Being]

09:28 AM on 11/27/2011

You wrote a very intelligent post. Then in the last couple of lines you blew it by calling Black people Racist! If we use the dictionary definition of the word and not yours it says that a racist is "someone who believes that their skin color alone makes them superior to all those who don't have their skin color". That is about a ninety nine percent problem of Pink Africans, or Caucasoids. I have never in my life heard a Black person say he is superior to everyone who is a genetic mutation like White folks are. So stop trying to lump us in the same group as you all are in.

For the most part, Black people, including myself are ANGRY as Hades at how most White people treat us on a daily basis. If I stomp on your foot real hard when you are trying to be friendly with me, you Whites would be angry; not necessarily RACIST. We are ANGRY not Racist. Any Black person in their right minds should be extremely mad about how we get treated in every area of our lives by MOST Pink Africans. Labor, law, politics, medical, social, economical, educational, military, real estate, and financial.We do not want your melanin challenged skin. It is not superior to anything. We do not feel we are superior to other Humans because the SUPREME BEING gave us beautiful Brown and Black skin that protects us from the Suns rays.Capisce?

[nix28]

03:54 PM on 11/27/2011

You might want to reign in your anger and check out my previous comments. I'm a Black female. And if you use the Merriam-Webster definition of racism, it states as follows: : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

Your post is full of ignorance and misplaced self-righteous indignation. Anybody can be racist, and yes, there are Blacks that deem themselves superior to Whites. You may want to step out of your little bubble and get educated, because all that anger is not going to get you anywhere, especially when it's misdirected against one of your own.

[rysagr]

08:54 PM on 11/18/2011

does it matter what causes a crime?

[moionfire]

07:52 AM on 11/19/2011

Yes actually it does.

[tackleho]

07:07 PM on 12/05/2011

In that case the 90% of black murders committed by blacks should get ten times the coverage here. Visit the FBI Crime Stats website for hard info.

[jayes]

07:01 PM on 11/18/2011

well, if you define something as a "hate crime", golly gee! the country was founded on genocide and white supremacy, right? (the obvious truth perhaps not sitting well with prime time cadillac escalade mentalities)

most people are hurt by people of their same ethnicity, because that's who's around. ask the FBI.

[Minnesota Black]

07:47 PM on 11/19/2011

The country was founded on genocide and the physical, economic, and legal oppression of black folks just because that's historical fact.

Hate crimes are another issue, though if you wish you can draw the connection between our history of racism and the way this influences violence against black people in modern times.

[TYRANT357]

06:21 PM on 11/18/2011

FBI: Hate Crimes Target Blacks In 70% of Race-Based Cases. You mean to tell me the FBI is just now getting this memo?

[ajsandq]

05:08 AM on 11/18/2011

every crimes a hate crime.

[John Prewett]

12:37 AM on 11/18/2011

For decades the Fed gov and MSM have been downplaying black on white violent crime while magnifying what little white on black crime they can find.

http://youtu.be/QVLjIJUCiAs

[John Prewett]

12:35 AM on 11/18/2011

http://qui­ckfacts.ce­nsus.gov/q­fd/states/­36000.html

NY City 2009 population­: 60%White - 17% Black - 13% Hispanic

http://pro­jects.nyti­mes.com/cr­ime/homici­des/map

NY City Murder perps: 7% White - 60% Black - 29% Hispanic

[dbrett480]

07:10 PM on 11/17/2011

At no point does this article even mention what a hate crime is. It isn't a separate crime, like the article implies, but an enhancement to an already existing crime if the motive is solely based on bias.

[Cal3b G]

11:52 PM on 11/16/2011

I don't have to read the comments to predict that there are many conservatives writing about how this is not true and that black people kill people too and blah blah blah..

[John Prewett]

12:27 AM on 11/18/2011

Your "pis on the truth" attitude is noted.

[UpYouMighty]

08:42 PM on 11/16/2011

This is shameful, but so too is the poverty of African people in America. Of course European people will attack Africans--they went on ships, uninvited, to maraud the wealth of Africans many hundreds of years ago--however, the poverty of African people is unwarranted. We need to talk to one another. Convene and again rebuild our industries. Who agrees?

[22Keys]

05:06 PM on 11/16/2011

As a multi-ethnic person, I often enjoy the view I get of society. I always see hypocrisy and double standards on all sides. On this particular issue, it should seem obvious that whenever a white person is assaulted by a minority it is never considered a hate crime. I'm just being real. Not to say that minorities are not the victims of hate crimes. However, authorities always seem reluctant to label something a hate crime when the perp is a minority. Very strange.

[Incitatus91]

05:33 PM on 11/16/2011

I'm not sure whether or not they are labeled hate crimes, but the law is actually much harsher on people who kill whites. 77 percent of people are death row for killing a white victim, even though 50 percent of homicide victims are black. Also, blacks who kills whites are three times as likely as whites who kill whites to get the death penalty. So maybe on a media level, a bigger deal is made in case where whites kill blacks, but certaintly not legally.

[UpYouMighty]

08:38 PM on 11/16/2011

Good post!

[justitia]

08:01 PM on 11/16/2011

A hate crime is committed when there's clear indication that racial/religious hatred has been established as the motive. Plain robbery of a black person by a white person is not necessarily a hate crime, and vice-versa. It's easy to claim being anything, like 'multi-ethnic' when hiding under an alias.

[22Keys]

11:59 AM on 11/17/2011

"It's easy to claim being anything, like 'multi-eth­nic' when hiding under an alias."

Why end a perfectly reasonable response with an ad hominem?

[Mark Gunn]

06:30 AM on 11/17/2011

Tell that load of crap to the next Black man that gets dragged with a truck or run over just for being Black. This mindset of "ignore it and it goes away" is exactly why racism persists. PEOPLE SIMPLY DON'T SPEAK OUT ENOUGH !

[NatTurner1]

01:40 PM on 11/16/2011

Uh ohh. Here is another statistic that white folks do not want you to believe or take seriously or put any credence into. They will scream on this thread that it’s not credible, not provable and that everyone in their history was taken out of context. You know, because the FBI stats are all lies.

Read below to see how they rationalize the aforementioned:

[Lifeskills]

12:21 PM on 11/16/2011

People With Low Self-Esteem Show More Signs of Prejudice
ScienceDaily (Feb. 23, 2011) - When people are feeling bad about themselves, they're more likely to show bias against people who are different. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, examines how that works.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110223151945.htm

[KenKENTARI]

01:00 PM on 11/16/2011

THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION, VERY NICE LINK.