Recently in Hate Crime Category
It's an interesting sentence I've never seen utilized before: punish the insensitive with some sensitivity training. That's gotta be worse than jail!
Anyone who regularly reads the Daily Breeze's user comments would not be surprised to hear about the amount of anger and hatred that is targeted at Latinos. Experts say a lot of the negative feelings come from the increasingly hot immigration debate.
Here's this from the Associated Press today:
Advocates say rhetoric fuels anti-Hispanic crime
By DEEPTI HAJELA and FRANK ELTMAN
Associated Press Writers
NEW YORK (AP) _ It was meant to be a short jaunt to a friend's home to watch a movie.
Marcello Lucero never made it. His walk, and his life, came to a brutal end when the Ecuadorean native was allegedly beaten and stabbed by a group of teenagers who police said wanted "to beat up some Mexicans."
Lucero's death Saturday night on Long Island was quickly labeled a hate crime by authorities, and it's not an anomaly. Figures recently released by the FBI show hate crimes motivated by anti-Hispanic bias have been on the upswing since 2003.
Observers and Hispanic advocates blame a climate of harsh rhetoric surrounding the national immigration debate.
"I don't think it's merely coincidence that these hate crimes are going up at the same time there's a violent at times debate over immigration," said Kevin Brown, dean of the law school at the University of California-Davis.
"We talk about immigration, we're not particularly careful in the terminology," he said. "Inflammatory terminology is frequently used, that helps to sort of rile people up."
The whole story is available by clicking here.
In 2007, hate crime in Los Angeles County rose 28 percent, from 594 to 763, the highest level in five years, according to the Human Relations Commission's annual report. The 36-page report is chock full of interesting statistics about the types of hate crimes being perpetuated, against who and where. It takes a special look at some specific areas, including white supremacists, gangs, homophobia and hate crimes arising out of the war in the Middle East.
In the South Bay last year, there were a reported 87 hate crimes. The most reports were in the San Fernando Valley, which had 190, while the area with the least was the Westside, with 37, which includes Playa del Rey, Marina del Rey and Westchester.
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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