Los Angeles County saw the most hate crimes in 2023 since it began tracking hate crime data in 1980 with a spike in violence against transgender people and Jews, according to a new report.
The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission said in its annual report that there were 1,350 hate crimes reported to law enforcement in the county, a 45% increase from 2022.
“Documented hate crimes in 2023 will peak and grow due to the highest counts of specific target groups, including African Americans, Asians, Jews, Latinos, LGBT* individuals, and transgender people.” has set multiple records and includes anti-anti-counts for defaming immigrants, crimes related to the Middle East conflict, and crimes involving evidence of white supremacist ideology.
The transgender community appears to have experienced the most hate crimes with 99 reports. This was a 125% jump from the previous year.
According to the report, most anti-transgender crimes were violent, including assault, intimidation, and robbery.
Approximately 75% of anti-trans hate crimes targeted transgender women, with the vast majority of suspects being men.
2023 saw a sharp increase in religious hate crimes, especially against Jews. Of the 242 religious hate crimes, a spike of more than 90%, the highest number in L.A. County history was reached.
Half of religious hate crimes were violent, and the most common form of hate was committed through vandalism, the report said.
The city of Los Angeles recorded the highest number of religious hate crimes, followed by Beverly Hills and Burbank, as most victims were targeted in public places.
Among racial hate crimes, Black Americans made up the largest group of victims with 320 reports. That number accounts for nearly half of all racial hate crimes reported in Los Angeles County.
Asians were another group frequently victimized by hate crimes. In 2023, there were 80 anti-Asian crimes, an increase of 31%.
There was also an increase in 123 hate crimes targeting immigrants, with victims targeted with anti-immigrant slurs, with more than 70% targeting Latinos and 18% targeting Asians.
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