CRIME
FBI: Six Percent Increase in Hate Crimes in 2020
Nearly 20.5 percent of victims were attacked based on their sexual orientation
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Hate crimes targeting
Asian and Black individuals
soared across
the nation last year and
there was a slight uptick in hate
crimes on the basis of sexual orientation,
according to the FBI, which
reported an overall six percent increase
in hate crimes in 2020.
The FBI’s latest annual report
on hate crimes shows that out of
approximately 7,554 single-incident
hate crime offenses logged
in the US, 61.9 percent of victims
last year were targeted based on
their race, ethnicity, or ancestry;
at least 20.5 percent of victims
were targeted based on their sexual
orientation; and 2.5 percent of
the attacks were fueled by gender
identity-related bias. Religious bias
accounted for 13.4 percent of hate
crimes compared to one percent for
The FBI’s new report shows an increase in hate crimes based on sexual orientation.
disability bias and 0.7 percent for
gender bias. Overall, the numbers
showed a six percent increase in
bias-related attacks since 2019.
REUTERS/KEVIN MOHATT
Compared to last year’s report,
the number of bias-related incidents
aimed at a person’s sexual orientation
in 2020 jumped by 3.5 percentage
points, while crimes directed
at an individual’s gender identity
slightly decreased by 0.3 percent.
Notably, there were a whopping
2,755 hate crimes against Black
individuals, representing by far
the largest share of bias incidents
against any group. There were 649
incidents targeting gay men, 279
targeting LGBTQ people in general,
274 anti-Asian attacks, 196
anti-trans incidents, and 99 antilesbian
hate crimes, according to
the FBI. There were 40 incidents
targeting gender non-conforming
people and 16 anti-bisexual hate
crimes.
“These statistics show a rise in
hate crimes committed against
Black and African-Americans, already
the group most often victimized,”
US Attorney General Merrick
Garland said in a written statement.
“Notably, they show a rise
in hate crimes committed against
members of the Asian-American
Pacifi c Islander community. This
also confi rms what we have seen
and heard through our work and
from our partners.”
“At my direction, the department
has rededicated itself to combatting
unlawful acts of hate, including
by improving incident reporting,
increasing law enforcement
training and coordination at all
levels of government, prioritizing
community outreach and making
better use of civil enforcement
mechanisms. All of these steps
share common objectives: deterring
hate crimes and bias-related
incidents, addressing them when
they occur, supporting those victimized
by them and reducing the
pernicious effects these incidents
have on our society.”
The report’s statistics on racial
bias and anti-LGBTQ incidents
highlight the realities for those who
are are at the most vulnerable intersections
of violence — especially
at a time when Black and Latinx
transgender women are disproportionately
impacted by these assaults.
A New Jersey man was recently
arrested for fatally shooting
Shai Vanderpump, a Black transgender
woman and prominent LGBTQ
rights advocate. Offi cials and
advocacy groups believe the attack
was motivated by hate and are collaborating
on the investigation.
Approximately 53.4 percent of
hate crimes recorded in 2020 were
for intimidation, while 27.6 were
for simple assault and 18.1 percent
were for aggravated assault. According
to the FBI, 22 and 19 rapes
were reported as hate crimes. The
data also shows that vandalism
accounted for 76.4 percent of hate
crimes in the US, while 23.6 percent
included robbery, burglary,
arson, and other offenses.
The FBI reports that 28.3 percent
of these incidents take place
in or near homes, while approximately
20 percent arise on highways,
roads, alleys, and streets.
According to California Highway
Patrol, in March, Rayanna Pardo,
a Latinx transgender woman, was
fatally struck by a car in Los Angeles.
The woman was allegedly fl eeing
a group of anti-trans harassers
when she was hit by the vehicle.
The FBI’s latest report follows
one of the deadliest years on record
against trans, non-binary,
and gender-non-conforming folks
with more than 30 trans deaths
reported since the start of 2021.
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