More Latinos targets of hate

Hate crimes overall decreased significantly across Orange County in 2007, but crimes targeting certain populations rose, according to a report released by the county Thursday.

Latinos, who were central to national discussions last year regarding immigration, were targeted significantly more than in 2006, the study shows.

The group pointed to public debate over immigration last year for potentially triggering a backlash against Latinos.

Blacks continue to be the most targeted for hate crimes, despite comprising only a fraction of the county’s population and seeing a drop-off in instances this year, the Orange County Human Relations Commission found.

There were 19 hate crimes targeting blacks in 2006, and there were 18 last year, officials said.

A recent example involved Ronald Bray, 26, who was convicted in January 2007 of attacking a disabled black man in Costa Mesa.

“A hate crime against one individual strikes at the very core of our society,” Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said in a prepared statement.

“It is my goal to prevent and vigorously prosecute these heinous and violent criminal acts of discrimination.”

In 2007, 95% of all hate crime cases were successfully prosecuted, officials said.

The commission annually compiles data from police and sheriffs deputies, community organizations and colleges countywide to spot trends and effective measures to stop hate crimes.

The commission releases it in an annual report presented to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

The commission has been issuing its report every year since 1992.

Officials chose not to break down statistics city by city, saying that each city’s capacity to report hate crimes and some people’s hesitation to report them would make the numbers misleading.

Countywide, there were 81 reported hate crimes in 2007, but likely many more went untold, officials said.

The commission separated hateful actions into two groups: hate crimes, which are against the law, and hate incidents, actions protected by the 1st Amendment but still denigrate a person or group based on race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Most hate crimes consisted of vandalizing and destroying property, where the perpetrators were unknown.

But for when the identity was known, statistics show whites committed more hate crimes in Orange County last year than all other races combined.

An electronic version of the commission’s report is available online at www.ochumanrelations.org.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].