In California, hate crimes against Asians dip, while hate 'incidents' increase

Illustration: Jason Leung/Unsplash

Hate crimes against Asian Americans may have dipped in California but hate and xenophobia continues to tarnish the American dream.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently released the 2024 Hate Crime in California Report. The report finds that anti-Asian hate attacks have reduced slightly in California from 2023 to 2024.

However, reported hate crime events in California have increased by 2.7% from 1,970 in 2023 to 2,023 in 2024. In particular, reported hate crimes against our LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities have increased, and too many communities continue to be unacceptably targeted by hate.

“There is absolutely no place for hate in California. Transparent and accessible data is a critical part of understanding where we are and how we can end hate crimes in our communities,” says  the state's Attorney General Bonta.

Amidst this increase in reported hate crime offenses and events, Bonta urges local partners and law enforcement to review the resources highlighted today and to recommit themselves to taking action.

“Everyone has a part to play as we continue to fight intolerance in California, and I urge leaders up and down the state to review the data and resources available and recommit to standing united against hate. The California Department of Justice remains steadfast in our commitment to continue working with law enforcement, elected leaders, and community organizations across California to keep our communities safe.”

It's important to differentiate between "hate incidents" tracked legally defined hate crimes. In California in 2024, hate crimes targeting Asian individuals saw a decrease of 4.8%, with 119 reported incidents compared to 125 in 2023, according to by Stop AAPI Hate, which issued its own report earlier this month. California Attorney General Bonta reported a slight decrease in anti-Asian bias crimes, from 125 in 2023 to 119 in 2024. This difference highlights the value of considering multiple data sources.

A significant number of Asian adults in California, nearly half (48%), reported experiencing hate in 2024, according to Stop AAPI Hate. This figure is similar to the 49% reported in 2023. The data also indicates that over half (53%) of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults experienced some form of hate, including incidents of bullying, discrimination, harassment, and physical violence.

The 2024 data collected by Stop AAPI Hate reveals that while overall hate crimes targeting race and ethnicity decreased slightly (0.6%), anti-Black bias remained the most prevalent, followed by anti-Latino and anti-Asian bias. Specifically, anti-Asian hate incidents decreased from 125 in 2023 to 119 in 2024. 

However, the attorney general's report highlights the ongoing need to address hate incidents and crimes against Asian communities.

The report also acknowledges the impact of racist rhetoric blaming Asian communities for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stop AAPI Hate has also reported a surge in online hate against the Asian community, particularly targeting South Asians, since November 2024. These findings highlight a concerning trend of both in-person and online hate incidents affecting the Asian community in California. The organization also notes that the data collected by law enforcement agencies may not fully capture the extent of hate incidents, as many incidents are not reported as crimes. 

The California DOJ has collected statewide data on hate crimes since 1995. Under California law, a hate crime is a criminal act committed in whole or in part because of a victim’s actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or association with someone with one or more of these characteristics.

Hate crimes are distinct from hate incidents, which are actions or behaviors motivated by hate that may be protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. Examples of hate incidents include name-calling, insults, and distributing hate material in public places. If a hate incident starts to threaten a person or property, it may become a hate crime.

IIf you believe you or someone you know has been the victim of a hate crime, notify local law enforcement and consider taking the following steps:  

• If you are in immediate danger, call 911 and if needed, seek medical attention.
• Write down the exact words that were used and take note of any other relevant facts.
• If safe to do so, save all evidence and take photos.
• Get contact information for other victims and witnesses.
• Reach out to community organizations in your area that deal with hate crimes or incidents.

Hate crimes can be reported to the California Civil Rights Department's CA v. Hate online portal at any time in 15 languages or by calling the CA v. Hate hotline at (833) 866-4283 or 833-8-NO-HATE, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and talking to a trained civil rights agent in over 200 languages. Outside of those hours, people can leave a voicemail or call 211 to report a hate incident and seek support from a professional trained in culturally competent communication and trauma-informed practices.

Historically, hate crime data has generally been underreported and the California Department of Justice recognizes that the data presented in its reports may not adequately reflect the actual number of hate crime events that have occurred in the state. Caution should be used when comparing 2024 hate crimes data to prior years, as not all agencies were able to submit a full year of data for 2024. For more information, please reference the “Understanding the Data, Characteristics and Known Limitations” section in the report.

Some of the key findings from the 2024 Hate Crime in California Report include: 

• Reported hate crime events increased 2.7% from 1,970 in 2023 to 2,023 in 2024.
• Hate crime offenses increased 8.9% from 2,359 in 2023 to 2,568 in 2024.
• The number of victims of reported hate crimes increased 8.2% from 2,303 in 2023 to 2,491 in 2024. 
• Reported hate crime events involving a racial bias decreased 0.6% from 1,017 in 2023 to 1,011 in 2024. 
• Anti-Black bias events remained the most prevalent, despite a 4.6% decrease from 518 in 2023 to 494 in 2024. 
• Anti-Asian bias events decreased 4.8% from 125 in 2023 to 119 in 2024. 
• Reported hate crime events involving a religion bias increased 3% from 394 in 2023 to 406 in 2024. 
• Anti-Jewish bias events rose from 289 in 2023 to 310 in 2024, an increase of 7.3%.
• Anti-Islamic (Muslim) bias events fell from 40 in 2023 to 24 in 2024. 
• Between 2023 and 2024, hate crime events motivated by sexual orientation bias increased by 12.3% from 405 in 2023 to 455 in 2024, anti-transgender bias events increased by 12.3% from 65 in 2023 to 73 in 2024, and anti-LGBTQ+ bias events increased by 13.9% from 2023.
• From 2023 to 2024, the number of hate crimes referred for prosecution increased from 679 in 2023 to 818 in 2024. Of the 818 hate crimes that were referred for prosecution, 506 cases were filed by district attorneys and elected city attorneys for prosecution. Of the 506 cases that were filed for prosecution, 327 were filed as hate crimes and 179 were filed as non-bias motivated crimes.

In California, it is considered a hate crime if you are targeted because of your actual or perceived nationality, including your immigration or citizenship status. Earlier this year, Bonta released updated guidance and resources on hate crimes for law enforcement, prosecutors, and the victims of these crimes in preparation for a potential increase in violence against immigrants as a result of Donald Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric.

These resources include an updated law enforcement bulletin on laws prohibiting hate crimes, a hate crimes rapid response protocol for the deployment of DOJ resources, guidance to prosecutors to help strengthen hate crimes prosecution enforcement, and a fact sheet to help Californians understand their rights and protections under hate crime laws. These, and other resources can be found on oag.ca.gov/HATECRIMES.

Bonta launched the Racial Justice Bureau, which, among other things, supports the California Department of Justice’s broader mandate to advance the civil rights of all Californians by assisting with new and ongoing efforts to combat hate and bias.

Beginning in 2021 when he took office as the state's first Filipino American Attorney General, Bonta began proactively engaging with local city leaders in the biggest cities in California through roundtables in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, Riverside, Long Beach, Santa Ana, San Jose, Stockton, Anaheim, Bakersfield, Fresno, and Irvine.

More broadly, the Attorney General is deeply committed to responding to the needs of historically marginalized and underrepresented communities and, in July 2021, also launched the Office of Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement to work directly with community organizations and members of the public as part of the effort to advance justice for all Californians.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

• DOJ's Office of Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement will host a virtual Community Briefing on Wednesday, July 30th at 1pm PT to share highlights and findings from the report. People interested can register here: https://doj-ca.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_vDq6h0e1TbKG3D-DWByjfQ#/registration

• Members of the public can further explore the most recent hate crime data on OpenJustice.

• The 2024 Hate Crime in California Report can be found here.

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