119 ‘Hate Crimes’ Recorded in County During 2 Years

San Diego county was the scene of 119 “hate crimes” during a two-year period ending last August, with nearly half the attacks carried out against gays and lesbians, the county of San Diego Human Relations Commission announced Tuesday.

In its first ever compilation of such crimes, released at the county Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, the commission listed 52 verified attacks or threats against gays and lesbians throughout the county.

“We are just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg,” Commission member Scott Rhodes said about the 119 incidents, adding that most hate crimes go unreported.

“We need to make it unpopular in this community to be anti-whatever,” County Supervisor Leon Williams said.

The County Board of Supervisors established a “Hate Crimes Registry” in February, 1988, to keep track of attacks motivated by group characteristics, such as race, religion, sexual orientation or physical disability.

Overall, 44% of the hate crimes reported were motivated by sexual orientation and 36% by race, the commission reported. Seventy percent of all victims were male.

The attacks were committed by individuals and small groups, none of which claimed membership to any large organization. Half of the “hate crimes” were assaults, but there were 22 instances of property damage, 21 instances of verbal or written threats, two thefts, four sexual crimes and 12 instances of harassment.

In the typical hate crime, attackers used slurs during an assault, said Commission Director Jerry M. Chagala.

Law enforcement agencies and community organizations throughout the county reported 256 possible “hate crimes,” but 137 of them were dismissed by the commission because they didn’t fit the definition of a “hate crime” or were not sufficiently documented.

Law enforcement agencies reported 184 of the incidents, 60 of which were verified by the Commission as “hate crimes.” Eighty-six percent of the reports came from the San Diego Police Department, and only 1% came from the Sheriff’s Department.