Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Up 53%

Anti-Semitic hate crimes rose by more than 53% in the San Fernando Valley last year over 1994, with most of the increase attributed to racist leaflet and harassment cases in the West Valley, according to statistics to be released today by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith.

Leaflets printed with messages ridiculing Jews, blacks, Latinos and immigrants were slipped into food packages at grocery stores and shoved into school lockers and mailboxes throughout 1995 in the Valley, the ADL said.

The leaflets accounted for at least 10 of the anti-Semitic crimes counted in the Valley. In several instances, swastikas were painted on cars and buildings and residents were harassed via telephone or in person, the ADL said.

The majority of the anti-Semitic incidents occurred in the West Valley, where most of the Valley’s 250,000 Jews live, the ADL said.

“Law enforcement agencies are becoming more educated and aware about tracking these numbers,” said Roni Blau, director of the Valley’s ADL office.

“The increased numbers could reflect this change of attitude. But why this increase in the Valley, especially the West Valley as opposed to other areas? That really is a mystery.”

The ADL statistics for the Valley also include four anti-Semitic crimes in Pasadena.

The numbers of such hate crimes nearly doubled in Los Angeles County last year, swelling from 68 in 1994 to 121 in 1995, the ADL said.

Los Angeles Police Department data show that, in the first half of 1995, the Valley was the scene of more hate crimes of all types than any other area of the county.

A band of white supremacist graffiti vandals in West Hills marked neighborhood walls and buildings with swastikas and white power signs in April and May of last year.

In a much-publicized string of incidents over the past two years, Allan Eric Carlson of Glendale admitted slipping racist messages into unsold notebooks and food products and distributing fliers insulting Jews, Latinos and African Americans.

A Superior Court judge issued an injunction against Carlson in September, forbidding him to continue his campaign, and his acts provoked the Los Angeles City Council into passing a bill banning the placing of any outside material in unsold store merchandise without the permission of the store manager.

Across the state, anti-Semitic hate crimes rose nearly 12% last year, compared to a 22% increase the year before, ADL statistics showed.

Despite the slowed rate of increase, California still ranked second in the nation for such crimes.

New York state reported the most, with New Jersey and Florida ranked third and fourth respectively.

California, New York, New Jersey and Florida--home to most of the country’s Jews, the ADL said--accounted for 55% of the nation’s total anti-Semitic crimes in 1995.

Nationally, reported hate crimes dropped 11% in 1995 from 1994. It was the first decrease in three years, and the largest in 10 years, according to ADL data, which has been gathered for 17 years from state and local officials.

The numbers of suspects arrested in such crimes dropped by 23%, according to ADL statistics.

The crimes reflect an increase in anti-Semitic writings and speeches, Blau said. “Certainly this year we have seen that extreme words can lead to extreme action,” Blau said. “It can certainly lead to death. At least that hasn’t happened here.”