Anomaly in Hate Crime Decrease

Although fewer hate crimes were reported in Orange County last year than in 2004, Latinos surprisingly suffered an increase, according to a county Human Relations Commission report released Thursday.

One reason may be the public debate over immigration spilling onto the streets, said Rusty Kennedy, the commission’s executive director.

According to the report, nine hate crimes and five hate incidents were reported against Latinos last year, compared with six covering both categories the previous year.

“The interesting thing is that they’re down against most groups but there was a dramatic upsurge against Latinos,” Kennedy said.

Hate crimes are criminal acts, while hate incidents, though considered offensive, are often protected by the 1st Amendment.

In addition to Latinos, the most frequent victims of reported hate acts were African Americans, gays and lesbians, and Jews. Crimes targeting African Americans plunged almost a third last year compared with 2004. There was also a dramatic drop in hate crimes targeting people perceived to be Arab, Middle Eastern or Muslim -- only four in 2005, compared with 10 in 2004.

Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said 20 complaints of hate crimes were referred to prosecutors last year, and 18 cases were filed. Of those, 86% resulted in convictions, he said.

Other cases usually don’t end up in headlines, especially if no one is injured. But they serve as an indication of how the county is faring, Kennedy said.