Overall the hate crime rate reached a historic high, according to a new report from LA County Commission on Human Relations
REPORTS of harassment, violence and other hate incidents fueled by anti-Asian racism in Los Angeles County jumped 31% in 2023, according to the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations (LACCHR).
In other words, there were 80 total reports of anti-Asian hate in 2023, a double-digit jump from 2022 which saw 61 reported anti-Asian incidents.
The latest figure is the second-highest number of anti-Asian hate reported in L.A. County since 2021, which saw 81 total reports; as previously reported in the Asian Journal, 2021 saw an unprecedented spike in anti-Asian harassment, violence, and killings, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
L.A. County’s hate crime report only comprises of incidents reported to law enforcement. Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) are among the least likely to report hate crimes because of “linguistic and cultural barriers, immigration status, unfamiliarity with the criminal justice system and fear that reporting hate crimes could bring retaliation or unwanted publicity,” according to LACCHR.
“Hate crimes don’t just target individuals — they harm entire communities,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger. “They are an attack on the very fabric of who we are, and the shared values that unite us. That’s why this report is so important — it’s more than just data.”
The largest groups of victims in the anti-Asian category were Chinese (37%), followed by Korean (24%), Indians (12%), and Japanese (8%).
Additionally, 58% of these victims were male and 42% were female. Regarding the incidents themselves, simple assault was the most common mode of hate at 44%, followed by vandalism (19%), intimidation (18%), and aggravated assault (13%).
Overall, across all surveyed demographic, reported hate crimes spiked 45% in 2023, from 930 in 2022 to 1,350 in 2023 — the most reported hate crimes since the commission has been recording hate crime statistics.
Black individuals constituted for 49% of the hate crime victims who were targeted because of their race. The county saw 320 anti-Black crimes, which is the highest number ever recorded.
Disturbingly, the county saw a 125% jump in anti-transgender crimes. Of the 99 crimes in this area, 97% of them were violent.
Crimes targeting specific religions spiked 90%, with anti-Jewish incidents also reaching a historic high of 272 total reports.
2023 also saw the highest number of reported homophobic crimes — a 48% overall increase — and 73% of these victims were gay men.
“Although the numbers reported today are unprecedented for multiple communities throughout LA County, they signal that more people are coming forward to report hate crimes and are refusing to accept the normalization of hate,” said Helen Chin, president of the LA County Commission on Human Relations.
