FBI Hate Crime Statistics for 2005 Called Incomplete
Feature Story by Trevor Clark - 11/2/2006
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) recently released "Hate Crime Statistics, 2005" shows a decrease in the total number of hate crimes in the United States.However, those same statistics also reveal that some of the largest cities in America failed to report their hate crimes, prompting many civil rights groups to call the statistics "incomplete."
A hate crime is defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as acts of violence motivated by race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin. According to the FBI report, 7,163 incidents of hate crimes were reported in 2005, down from 7,649 in 2004.
However, with no data on hate crimes from New York City and Phoenix - two of the Top 10 largest cities in the U.S. -- civil rights groups have said the data is incomplete. "The fact that New York City and Phoenix did not report hate crime data to the FBI ... marks a setback to the progress the Bureau has made in the program," said Deborah M. Lauter, director of civil rights at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Louisville, the 26th largest city in the United States, also failed to report any hate crimes.
There is also concern that there were no reports of hate crime in two states and fewer than 10 hate crimes reported in four others, perhaps by virtue of the voluntary nature of the reporting. Neither Mississippi or Alabama reported any hate crimes for 2005, Hawaii did not participate at all, Wyoming reported 3, Alaska reported 4, and South Dakota reported 9.
"It is critical that all jurisdictions treat these crimes seriously and report hate crimes statistics to the FBI and the public," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. "We need to ensure the safety and protection of every single American regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity."
Despite the overall decrease in the number of hate crimes, the report shows a marked increase in anti-Hispanic crime. The FBI reported 522 incidents of anti-Hispanic crime in 2005, up from 475 in 2004, raising anti-Hispanic crime from 6.2 percent of hate crime incidents to 7.3 percent.
Much of this violence appears to be due in large part to the recent debate over immigration reform, stoked by legislation civil rights groups called "draconian.".
An April ADL report found a rise in anti-Hispanic violence over the past three years. It asserted that white supremacists, skinheads, and other extremist groups used the immigration debate to incite violence against Latinos, regardless of status, around the country.
In response to the rising violence against Hispanics, ADL and the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Latino civil rights organization, have created a public policy action agenda to combat the growing hate violence against Latinos. It includes: a call for law enforcement to investigate threats of violence; implementation of anti-bias education programs in schools; termination of divisive rhetoric based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion; and comprehensive, humane immigration reform legislation.
"Behind the statistics are individuals and communities deeply impacted by these crimes. Hate violence in America requires priority attention by law enforcement officials, policymakers, and educators," said ADL's Lauter.
