Last year, anti-Asian hate crimes surged by 76% in Los Angeles County, reflecting a troubling trend in many other jurisdictions as physical and verbal assaults on Asian Americans escalated amid the COVID-19 epidemic.
More than three-quarters of the 44 anti-Asian hate crimes recorded in Los Angeles County in 2020 included physical violence, up from 58 percent in 2018, according to a study published Wednesday by the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations.
There were 25 anti-Asian hate crimes recorded in 2019.
The report’s data was gathered from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, over 40 municipal police departments, including Los Angeles’, as well as numerous school police agencies and community groups.
Because victims may be hesitant to disclose hate crimes, the number of recorded hate crimes is usually regarded as inaccurate.
Many blame anti-Asian assaults on then-President Trump’s racially tinged remarks, which highlighted the coronavirus’ Chinese roots.
According to the study, the suspect in ten of the 44 anti-Asian incidents in Los Angeles County directly blamed the victims for COVID-19.
This video recently made the round on social media. It's a great summary of the situation.
Anti-Asian hate crimes in California more than quadrupled last year, according to the state attorney general, with assault and intimidation being the most frequent charges.
Volunteers organized foot patrols in Oakland Chinatown and other Asian communities after a spate of violent assaults on Asian American elderly people throughout the country.
In the first quarter of 2021, a survey of 16 jurisdictions throughout the nation showed a 164 percent rise in complaints of anti-Asian hate crimes compared to the same time last year.
Anti-Asian bigotry was widespread throughout the country during the COVID-19 epidemic, according to reports from Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that monitors anti-Asian assaults.
Some of the casualties were older people, while others were youngsters. Some were coughed or spit on, slapped or punched, denied service at companies, and yet others were hurt by racial comments or individuals refusing to engage with them.
AAPI must be stopped. Hate crimes are tracked separately from hate incidents, which usually include name-calling or insults but do not reach the level of a crime.
According to the study, the number of Asian American female hate crime victims in Los Angeles County quadrupled from five the previous year to 15.
In 2019, no Asian hate crime victims were above the age of 40. In 2020, half of the population will be over the age of 40, with two senior people.
There were 42 percent white perpetrators, 36 percent Latino perpetrators, and 19 percent Black perpetrators in instances where a perpetrator was identified.
Anti-Asian hate crimes accounted for 45% of all hate crimes in Los Angeles, with a large concentration in the South Bay.
Through the 211 phone line and its website, the county Human Relations Commission receives complaints of potential hate crimes. Since its debut in June 2020, it has received about 1,400 reports.