Hate Crimes

What is a Hate Crime?

According to California state law, hate crime charges are filed when there is evidence that bias, hatred, or prejudice based on the victim's real or perceived race/ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation is a substantial factor in the commission of the offense. This definition is codified in the California penal code sections 422.55 to 422.95 pertaining to hate crime.

Evidence of such bias, hatred, or prejudice can be direct or circumstantial. It can occur before, during, or after the commission of the offense.

Hate speech is a criminal offense when the speaker/writer has threatened violence against a specific person or group of persons. The threat must be immediate and unequivocal. The aggressor must also have the ability to carry out that threat.

Frequently, derogatory words or epithets are directed against a member of a protected class, but no violence is threatened and there is no apparent ability to harm the target. Such hate incidents are important indicators of intergroup tensions. They are not, however, criminal offenses. Such language is protected by free speech rights set forth in the California and U.S. constitutions.

Commission Actions to Address Hate Crimes in 2006

Educating and Empowering Students is one of the Commission's highest strategic priorities. Due to youth involvement in hate crimes, the Commission launched Zerohour/No Haters Here! to engage youth as leaders in taking a stand against prejudice and violence at their school. In the fall of 2006, the Commission partnered with the Children's Planning Council to host a countywide youth conference, "L.A. County Youth Rise Up!" Over 400 teens gathered at Cal State L.A to learn about human relations and other related issues, how to connect to their county Service Planning Area councils, and how to take leadership roles in their communities and schools.

Engaging Teachers and Administrators

Building a human relations culture and infrastructure at select high schools through Zerohour/No Haters Here! involves the commitment of school districts and administrators to successfully engage students and teachers in the effort to address hate speech, conflict and violence. A conference for teachers and administrators was held at the Japanese American National Museum in September 2006 at which staff and education experts presented workshops to teachers and district officials from throughout the county on topics such as culturally-relevant teaching methodologies and classroom management skills.

Promoting Collaboration for Safer Schools

The Commission partnered with county agencies, cities and community organizations in an effort to keep communities and schools safe from hate. One such example is the Juvenile Justice Task Force pilot project, a multi-agency partnership between the Commission's Zerohour schools program, L.A. City Human Relations Commission, L.A. County Probation Department, Children's Planning Council, Department of Children and Family Services, LAUSD and community organizations, established to prevent youth and families from entering or becoming further entrenched in the juvenile justice system by engaging broad sectors of the community to provide comprehensive, neighborhood-based, schools centered prevention and intervention strategies for effective and sustained coordination and sharing of city, county, and community health and human resources, services, and information. The Task Force launched three-year pilot projects in Van Nuys and Pacoima at Grant High, Madison Middle School , Erwin and Kittridge Elementary Schools , Pacoima Charter Elementary, Maclay Middle School and San Fernando High. A result of the Task Forces' work with Grant High elected and natural student leaders, their families and faculty to develop and facilitate violence prevention activities including multi-cultural programming and parent education trainings, and student suspension rates at the school have decreased by 100 during this past academic year.

Addressing Stereotypes in the Media

The Commission's Media Image Coalition (MIC) represents the first multi-racial, multi-cultural, inter-religious media advocacy and education organization in the U.S. One of the MIC members, the Council of American Islamic Relations, worked closely with Fox Television and Paramount Pictures regarding its role in the fair and balanced portrayal of Muslims during a time of societal/widespread stereotyping.

Monitoring State and Federal Hate Crime Legislation

The Commission supported legislation proposed by the California State Assembly and Senate to strengthen hate crime laws, and the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, S.1145 by Congress.

Bringing Stakeholders Together

The Commission partnered with the Korean-American Coalition 4.29 Center, Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center and L.A. City Human Relations Commission on a series of community dialogues and panel discussions to assess the state of inter-group relations in L.A., leading up to the 15th Anniversary of the 1992 L.A. riots following the Rodney King verdict.

Coordinating Inter-Agency Cooperation

The Commission hosted quarterly meetings of its Network Against Hate Crime, a county-wide coalition of community organizations, local, state and federal officials, human relations experts and law enforcement. Meetings included speakers, panel discussions and presentations on the U.S. Attorney's successful prosecution of Latino gang members for anti-black hate crimes, harassment of the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City , and strategies for preventing racial violence in the county jails.

Providing Assistance to Law Enforcement and Local Government

The Commission provided hate crime training for law enforcement agencies and city commissions, including LAUSD school police and Santa Clarita Sheriff's Station.