Bring Hate Crime Into the Light

Last spring, a state attorney general’s commission expressed concern that hate crimes were underreported in California. Orange County has a vigorous Human Relations Commission. The county’s law enforcement community generally is more advanced than those in some rural areas in chronicling hate crimes. Nevertheless, the local commission wisely is leaving nothing to chance, and no doubt there is room for improvement. It has been participating in a statewide effort to increase awareness.

Last week, the commission held a hearing as part of the statewide effort to increase reporting. Efforts like it to identify groups that, for a variety of reasons, may not be forthcoming are important and should be applauded. The initiative also is an opportunity for local law enforcement agencies and the commission itself to build bridges to various groups. This can pay off later in better protection for those communities and better relations with authorities.

Rusty Kennedy, executive director of the commission, observes that while hate crimes have gone down in Orange County, many crimes still go unreported, regardless of the overall trend from year to year in reporting of incidents. So if Orange County is making progress on hate crimes, there is still much work to do.

For example, the county has a substantial Latino population, and the commission has been making an effort to reach out to that community. A failure to report hate crimes may result if Latinos are concerned about language barriers, have worries about immigration standing or do not wish to appear dependent on government, according to the commission.

The idea that groundwork is built in boom times for better relations between potential victims of hate crimes and law enforcement agencies is important. The commission has found that during periods of economic hardship, scapegoating of immigrants and other groups can increase. Perpetrators may assess the community environment and become bolder about acting on their fears if they are supported by what they hear around them.

The county already has a good network of groups that report hate crime incidents either through the local police and sheriff’s departments or through such groups as the Anti-Defamation League. The effort to build on those networks is worthwhile.