Sunita Sohrabji | Ethnic Media Services
An increasing number of hate crimes are being reported in California, but convictions continue to remain low, said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Speaking to Ethnic Media Services here on the sidelines of the United Against Hate summit at Fresno City College, Bonta noted that hate crimes are notoriously difficult to prosecute. “They require a proof of intent. By design, a hate crime must originate with the hate element, which is often difficult to establish,” he said.
“Hate crimes are an augmentation of sentencing: it is seen as something additional. You’re already charging assault or battery,” said Bonta, noting that a successful hate crime conviction might add 2 to 5 years to a sentence. He urged victims of a hate crime to gather up as much evidence as possible and to get details.
Last June, Bonta’s office released the 2022 Hate Crime in California Report. The report noted that reported hate crime events in the state increased 20.2%, from 1,763 in 2021 to 2,120 in 2022. Hate crimes targeting Black people remained the most prevalent and increased 27.1% from 513 in 2021 to 652 in 2022, while anti-Asian hate crime events decreased by 43.3% from 247 in 2021 to 140 in 2022.
Hate crimes in California involving a sexual orientation bias increased, by 29%, from 303 in 2021 to 391 in 2022.
But of the over 2,100 hate crimes reported in the state, only 52 resulted in hate crime convictions.
The majority of hate crimes reported never made it to court: just 456 cases were filed by district attorneys and elected city attorneys, according to the report.
In his formal remarks at the summit, Bonta said hate was not a new phenomenon. “It’s been with us since time immemorial. We need to take care of each other, look after one another, and be committed to the proposition that hate against any one of us is hate against all of us, and it’s unacceptable.” He said he feared for his…
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