HUNTINGTON BEACH : Anti-Hate Crime Action Planned

Councilwoman Linda Moulton-Patterson said she will introduce a resolution condemning hate crimes, such as threats or assaults against minorities and gays, at Monday night’s City Council meeting.

“I’ve been concerned because of the number of hate crimes in Orange County, and we want to make it clear that those sorts of things are not going to be tolerated in Huntington Beach,” Moulton-Patterson said.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had too much trouble with hate crimes so far in the city, but a few weeks ago there was that incident with a swastika being placed on the Ocean View High School campus.”

Moulton-Patterson was referring to an incident of vandalism in January on the school’s campus that police called a hate crime.

Early one morning, before classes started, vandals painted two chalk swastikas on the school lawn and raised a Nazi-style banner on the school flag pole.

School authorities said they doubted that the perpetrators were students at the school.

Moulton-Patterson said her resolution also will praise Huntington Beach police for vigilant enforcement of hate-crime laws.

“I’m proud of what police are doing in Huntington Beach, and I want us to continue to stand firm,” she said. “I think there should be zero tolerance for this kind of thing.”

In a separate interview, Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg said that hate crimes are relatively rare in Huntington Beach.

“Our city’s in pretty good shape,” he said. “We had seven hate crimes last year, and if the current trend continues, it looks like we’ll have about that same number this year. Still, as far as I’m concerned, one hate crime is one too many.”

Lowenberg acknowledged that skinhead hate groups occasionally have congregated in Huntington Beach and that white supremacist literature has been passed out at some area high schools.

Overall, however, the problem of skinheads is not increasing in Huntington Beach, the chief said.