A Statistical Look at Racism, as Reflected in Hate Crime Statistics

The FBI has not released the Hate Crime stats for 2011 yet; they only released the stats for 2010 in November of last year.

That we still continue to have crime which is directed at a victim because of their race, because of their religion, because of their ethnicity (which I think really should be considered as one group - ethnicity and race - as they are essentially the same thing, identifying someone on the basis of their origins or perceived origins), or because of gender / sexual orientation, argues that we remain a more violent society and a less free society than we desire to be.

I would posit that we need to proactively decide to become a less bigoted, less prejudicial society, and a less violent one.  That race is such a prominent category for hate crimes in this country argues for the continued existence of racism.  I would categorize what is sometimes passed off as racial insensitivity as a form of racism, just a less overtly hostile form of hatred and bias.

I would encourage readers to contemplate black history month in the context of appreciating the contributions of black Americans to our nation, and to appreciating the struggles that those individuals who are people of color have experienced.  Of those crimes identified as bias crimes, it is worth noting that nearly half were for racial bias.

In that context, I present the November release of the 2010 hate crime data from the FBI web site:

FBI Releases 2010 Hate Crime Statistics

FBI San Diego November 14, 2011

April Langwell (858) 499-7917 Darrell Foxworth (858) 499-7810

Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released Hate Crime Statistics, 2010 based on information submitted by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. These data indicate that 6,628 criminal incidents involving 7,699 offenses were reported in 2010 as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability.
Hate Crime Statistics, 2010 includes the following information:

• Of the 6,624 single bias incidents, 47.3 percent were motivated by a racial bias, 20.0 percent were motivated by a religious bias, 19.3 percent were motivated by a sexual orientation bias, and 12.8 percent were motivated by an ethnicity/national origin bias. Bias against a disability accounted for 0.6 percent of single-bias incidents.
• There were 4,824 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against persons. Intimidation accounted for 46.2 percent of these crimes, simple assaults for 34.8 percent, and aggravated assaults for 18.4 percent. In addition, seven murders were reported as hate crimes.
• There were 2,861 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against property; most of these (81.1 percent) were acts of destruction/damage/vandalism. The remaining 18.9 percent of crimes against property consisted of robbery, burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and other offenses.
• Of the 6,008 known offenders, 58.6 percent were white and 18.4 percent were black. For 12.0 percent, the race was unknown, and the remaining known offenders were of other races.
• The largest percentage (31.4 percent) of hate crime incidents occurred in or near homes. Another 17.0 percent took place on highways, roads, alleys, or streets; 10.9 percent happened at schools or colleges; 5.8 percent in parking lots or garages; and 3.7 percent in churches, synagogues, or temples. The location was considered other or unknown for 14.3 percent of hate crime incidents. The remaining 16.9 percent of hate crime incidents took place at other specified locations or multiple locations.

Hate Crime Statistics, 2010 is available exclusively on the FBI’s website at www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr.