Orange County Sees Drastic Spike In Anti-Asian Hate Incidents, Report Finds
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – Orange County saw a 35% spike in hate crimes in 2020 compared with the year before, according to a new report released Friday.
The report from the nonprofit Orange County Human Relations Commission found there were 112 reported hate crimes in total last year.
It also found an 1,800% jump in anti-Asian hate incidents in 2020 compared to 2019. According to the OCHRC, a hate incident is a behavior reflecting bigotry, but which falls short of being a hate crime.
The group also recorded a 114% increase in anti-Semitic hate incidents and a 23% increase in anti-Black hate incidents.
Overall, hate incidents rose 69% in 2020 compared to the year before, the OCHRC found.
"In this past year alone, the commission has seen an increase in racial violence and injustice amongst communities of color, and in particular towards the Asian and Black community across the nation. Unfortunately, Orange County was not the exception to the hate and bigotry we were witnessing. The county has witnessed an increase in hate activities towards, but not limited to, different ethnic groups, political affiliations, religious groups, and the trans-community," the report reads.
The O.C. District Attorney's Office last year received reports of 30 hate crimes for consideration, filing charges in 18 of them. Four of the cases were rejected and eight needed further investigation.
