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.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge. Now on BlueSky.

DOJ announces grants, programs and policies to fight hate

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A year ago, President Biden signed the Hate Crimes Act witnessed by members of Congress and Vice President Kamala Harris.

As attacks against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders continue to rise and white supremacists grow bolder to impose their racist views on the rest of America, the US Department  of Justice announced Friday a series of actions to deter and confront hate crimes and other bias-related incidents.

“Throughout our history, and to this day, hate crimes have a singular impact because of the terror and fear they inflict on entire communities,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland at an event at the DOJ commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Attorney General’s memorandum on improving the Department’s efforts to combat hate crimes and hate incidents and the enactment of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes and Khalid Jabara-Heather Heyer NO HATE Acts. 

“No one in this country should have to fear the threat of hate fueled violence," Garland said. "The Justice Department will continue to use every resource at its disposal to confront unlawful acts of hate, and to hold accountable those who perpetrate them.”

The Hate Crimes Act anniversary and the DOJ's announcement comes days after President Biden and Vice President Harris met with scores of AANHPI leaders at the White House to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month and the hate-inspired mass shootings in Buffalo, Dallas and Southern California.

The anniversary of the Hate Crimes Act and the DOJ announcement was welcomed by the AANHPI members of Congress.

"We know that a lot of work remains. Anti-Asian hate is still on the rise, and we just witnessed a horrific domestic terrorist attack against the Black community in Buffalo last week," said Hawaii's Senator Mazie Hirono. "We must reaffirm our commitment to combatting the discrimination, prejudice, and racism that communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, women and more, continue to face. Our work is not finished until everyone in this country is safe, welcomed, and respected.”

The Justice Department's actions include: 

• Issuing new guidance with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Releasing grant solicitations for programs to create state-run hate crime reporting hotlines and to support community-based approaches to prevent and address hate crimes; and
• Hiring the Department’s inaugural Language Access Coordinator.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney Lisa O. Monaco, Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm, and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta were joined by family members of Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer, members of Congress; Black, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community-based organizations; civil rights organizations; and law enforcement leaders.

“We have seen a spike in hate crimes against many communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases, individuals are still scared to leave their homes – not only because of worry that they may contract the virus, but out of fear for their physical safety. This is unacceptable,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who serves as Co-Chair of the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

As set forth in the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the Justice Department and HHS announced the joint issuance of guidance aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes during the COVID–19 pandemic. A recent study found that a third of Americans are not even aware that there is a wave of anti-Asian incidents, these past two years ince the pandemic began.

This guidance provides an overview of the rise of hate crimes and hate incidents during the pandemic, including a surge of hate crimes and hate incidents against Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, and several steps that law enforcement, government officials, and others can take to raise awareness of increased hate crimes and incidents, and to use increased awareness as a tool for the prevention of and response to hate crimes.

The Justice Department also announced the release of $10 million in grant solicitations in newly created grant programs to address hate crimes and hate incidents. 

This includes solicitations for grants authorized under the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act programs. Through these programs, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) will provide up to $5 million in grant funds for the Bureau of Justice Statistics to support the transition of state and local law enforcement agencies to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and reporting of hate crimes through NIBRS, and for the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) to fund states to establish and run state-run reporting hotlines for victims of hate crimes. 

OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) also released $5 million in grant solicitations under the Community-Based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes Program, which supports community-based organizations and civil rights groups with implementing comprehensive approaches to promote community awareness and preparedness, increase victim reporting, strengthen community resiliency, and improve responses to hate crimes. 

The Justice Department announced that Ana Paula Noguez Mercado will join the Office for Access to Justice, where she will serve as the Department’s first-ever Language Access Coordinator. Language access is a key barrier to the reporting of hate crimes, and the Language Access Coordinator will help improve knowledge, use, and expansion of the Department of Justice’s language resources.

Finally, the Justice Department announced that Saeed Mody will serve as the Department’s new Anti-Hate Crimes Resources Coordinator, after the first ever Coordinator was recently named Director of the newly restored Office of Access to Justice. 

Over the last year, the Justice Department has taken a number of other actions in response to a rise in hate crimes and hate incidents. Some of these actions include:

• Designating a Deputy Associate Attorney General as the Justice Department’s first-ever Anti-Hate Crimes Resources Coordinator;
• Designating the chief of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division to serve in role of facilitating the expedited review of hate crimes;
• Going above and beyond the directive under the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to expedite the review of certain hate crimes by including additional types of hate crimes;
• Designating at least one Assistant U.S. Attorney as a Civil Rights Coordinator in every U.S. Attorneys’ Office (USAO);
• Vigorously investigating and prosecuting hate crimes - since January 2021, the department has charged more than 40 defendants in over 30 cases and obtained more than 35 convictions of defendants charged with bias-motivated crimes;
• Elevating civil rights violations and hate crimes enforcement for prioritization among the FBI’s 56 field offices;
• Facilitating FBI-hosted regional conferences across the country with state and local law enforcement agencies regarding federal civil rights and hate crimes laws; to encourage reporting; strengthen relationships between law enforcement and local civil rights organizations; and build trust within the diverse communities they serve;
• Launching an FBI-led National Anti-Hate Crimes Campaign involving all 56 FBI field offices to encourage reporting. The campaign includes outdoor advertising, billboards, and radio streaming in addition to social media;
• Ensuring that all states have now become certified for participation in the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting National Incident Based Reporting System;
• Revitalizing the Community Relations Service (CRS) by, among other things, seating newly-confirmed director, Paul Monteiro;
• Adding information to the Department of Justice’s website on reporting hate crimes in 24 languages, including 18 of the most frequently spoken AAPI languages in the United States;
• Creating an online toolkit that provides USAO Civil Rights Coordinators with customizable community outreach materials and ready access to other resources and training;
• Piloting a new outreach training called United Against Hate help improve the reporting of hate crimes by teaching community members how to identify, report, and help prevent hate crimes and to provide an opportunity for trust building between law enforcement and communities;
• Developing additional resources to help empower local officials, community leaders, and residents to address and devise community responses to hate crimes and incidents, including a toolkit to address hate crimes and incidents against Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, which has been translated into Arabic, Chinese (both Simplified and Traditional), Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Urdu, Tagalog, and Vietnamese;
• Releasing close to $21 million in grant funding through these programs to state and local partners to investigate and prosecute hate crimes and assist hate crime victims, including through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program to support state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies in their efforts to investigate and prosecute hate crimes and in their outreach to and education of the public, victims, and others on hate crimes; and
• With the Department of Education, issuing facts sheets addressing harassment and discrimination in school, including harassment based on COVID-19 related issues, harassment of LGBTQI+ students, and discrimination based on national origin and immigration status.

"Of course, these resources are not useful if they cannot be accessed by the communities they are intended to help. That is why the department has focused on translating the resources that are most relevant to communities impacted by hate," said Associate Attorney General Gupta. "For example, translating the Civil Rights Division’s online reporting portal into at least 24 languages, including eighteen of the most frequently spoken AAPI languages in the United States. 

"But translation alone is not enough," she continued. "We have also sought to increase cultural competency both within the department and among our state, local, territorial and Tribal partners through trainings and other resources. How we engage with communities impacted by hate crimes can be crucial to establishing a lasting relationship of trust."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.