Anti-Latino hate crimes in California spiked up by almost 50% last year, the state's attorney general's office reported Wednesday. That dramatic rise, from 81 such crimes in 2009 to 119 in 2010, followed a decade of declines.
The numbers may be indicative of a renewed national rise in hate crimes directed at Latinos, who are often assumed to be undocumented immigrants. Nationally, FBI hate crime statistics showed a 40% rise in such crimes between 2003 and 2007, but that was followed by decreases in 2008 and 2009. The national numbers for the year 2010 are not expected to be released until November of this year.
The national hate crime numbers are notoriously sketchy, and only give a very rough indication of trends in hate crimes. However, many experts consider California particularly good at reporting hate crimes, so that state's statistics are considered much more accurate than most others'. California, along with Arizona, has been the scene of much conflict between native Americans and immigrants, and if that conflict is heating up there, a similar pattern may be developing nationally.
California officials also reported that the number of hate crimes directed at black people, the LGBT community and Jews declined between 2009 and 2010.
The apparent national rise in anti-Latino hate crime between 2003 and 2007 coincided with some of the more virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric, much of it coming from "mainstream" nativists like then-CNN host Lou Dobbs and then-Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.). If a second national spike in hate crimes against Latinos has occurred since then, it's not clear why. An increasing proportion of the nativist invective of the last couple of years in America has been directed at Muslims.
In a related report, the Department of Justice in June published a study, based on questionnaires sent to a statistically representative sample of the population rather than on police reports, that estimated the number of hate crime victimizations between 2003 and 2009 -- an average of about 195,000 a year. An earlier DOJ study that used the same methodology -- considered far more accurate than the hate crime statistics that are reported to the FBI each year -- found an average 210,000 hate crime victimizations each year between 2000 and 2003. The apparent decline in hate crimes nationally followed the pattern of generally declining violent crime.
If a white man yells "WHITE POWER" during a fight against another race. Not only will he be charged with the assault he will also be charged with the illegal thought or ideology. Instead of charging him with "ILLEGAL THINKING" they will charge him with a hate crime....
When the news says HATE CRIME is up 50%, what there really saying is ILLEGAL THINKING is up 50%, BEWARE!!
Instead of yelling 'ILLEGAL THINKING' during a debate the word 'RACIST' is used...
If you believe 'GAYS' are moraly wrong and do something about it. It's a hate crime, you're ILLEGAL THINKING got the best of you...
We don't need to add an additional 12 million plus to our country permanantly. Americans are out of work and resources are scarce not to mention that we need to control our population growth. Why should we change our quotas to accomodate them when those quotas were put in place to protect Americans and Americans jobs in the first place?
tm
In today's reality, the Bully, Intimidation Tactics are more SUBTLE in the work place as well as social interactions. An example is poisonous gossip based on a perceived need to control that BROWN SKIN walking around in the community. Sadly, clueless Brown Skinned Against their OWN Brown Skin to feel Good About Themselves.
Physical Abuse resulting in Physical Evidence NO longer exist as every individual is Protected by the Laws of the Land.
Teapublicans use immigration, abortion, and gay rights as "wedge" issues and distractions to get people to vote against their own economic interests. It has been official Republican dogma since the 1960's when they exploited ra.cial fears among Southern whites.
The recent craz.y and bi.goted bullchit about immigration and "Sharia" law take overs and other nonsense is prime examples. Of course, when hate crimes go up against the groups they target with their g.oofy and big.oted rhetoric increase they then waddle (like Rush) to claim they are "misunderstood" --- No TeaBags we understand all too well reality and your repeated lies and denials do not translate into truth
The government should be doing something about the illegal immigrant problem, but of course, they will not.
Your "solution" would be to what? Make any child brought to America illegally grow up illiterate and uneducated or without healthcare even immunizations?? Talk about a recipe for gang membership and or violence?
Deport all people or make them second class people because they "look" a certain way? Even if you could go to any Native American reservation in the Southwest or states like New Mexico and find Americans who have been there for centuries and look exactly the same?!
Heavily penalizing the employers of illegals (including the wealthy for their domestics) and deporting as many as possible is the only option under the current system. Obama has already done the deportation thing but until Republicans get serious and ENFORCE employer sanctions (they don't...hmmm) all you end up with is sloganeering from nativists and nothing else.
BTW Teapublicans denotes not just Tea Party sc.rewballs but those who still call themselves Republicans or Conservatives since you all share the same party affiliation like it or not
I truly believe the hate crime is committed by the same mentality that attacks children. The most vulnerable and at risk are usually targeted. The most loathsome, unintelligent, cruelest of human beings understands that going after a child will bring the wrath of society down on their heads, but excuses will be made on their behalf when the subject of hate is someone of color, of a different religion or a different lifestyle.
Just as we capture those convicted of crimes against children in a national data base so, too, should we capture those convicted of hate crimes. After all they are cut from the same cloth!