Incidents of Religious Hate Ease Slightly

Vandalism and violence seemingly motivated by religious hatred dropped by 25% in the first half of 1987 compared to the same period last year, the county’s Human Relations Commission announced Wednesday.

Racially motivated attacks aimed at blacks, Latinos and Asians over the same period remained at the same record level as last year.

Commission Executive Director Eugene Mornell said he could not account for the drop in reported attacks on religious targets.

Mornell told reporters that one problem in gathering such data is that different areas of the county have varying definitions of what constitutes a racially or religiously motivated incident.

Mornell’s report showed that during the period of Jan. 1 to June 30, 1987:

- There were 44 acts of vandalism or violence that officials considered were motivated by hatred of a particular religion or church. That compared to 59 during the same period last year and 95 for all of 1986.

The primary method of attack was graffiti in the form of swastikas (25 incidents) and other Nazi slogans painted on residences and synagogues or at public schools. The primary targets were Jewish (34 of 44). In the most serious anti-Semitic incident, about $20,000 in damage was reported when vandals spray-painted swastikas and obscenities on the walls of a Canoga Park synagogue on June 24.

Attacks directed against followers of other religions included Muslim and Bible Church (three each) and Baptist, Church of Christ, Adventist and Church of the Gabriels (one each).

- There were 32 acts of vandalism or violence directed against blacks, Latinos and Asians over the first six months of the year.

Attacks against blacks accounted for 20 of the 32 racial incidents this year. Attacks reported against Latinos numbered five and against Asians seven, Mornell said.