Hate Crimes Up Against Gays, Jews

California Attorney General's Office Releases Report

PST November 13, 2009

http://www.kcra.com/politics/21611245/detail.html

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Attorney General's Office said that more gay and Jewish people were the victims of hate crimes last year even though the overall number of bias-related crimes declined slightly.

A report released Friday showed that in 2008 there were 1,397 crimes motivated by racial, religious and other forms of bias, a 2 percent drop from a year earlier.

More than half were based on a victim's race or ethnicity and of these, the vast majority were directed against black people.

Hate crimes based on religious bias were the second most common.

In 2008, there were 184 assaults, threats, and other crimes directed at Jews, a 37 percent increase from the year before.

Incidents targeting gays and lesbians rose by 28 percent, from 344 to 440.

A vandal drew a swastika on the temple at Congregation Beth Shalom in Sacramento County Tuesday, on the anniversary of attacks on Jews in Germany and Austria.

California state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg joined interfaith leaders in Sacramento Friday. He said that following the massacre at Fort Hood and the vandalism at the synagogue, people must "fight for peace."

"As an active member of my local Jewish community, a longtime supporter of the local Muslim and broader interfaith community, I invite all Sacramento to join hands and continue our fight for peace and to rise above the fundamental differences within our various faiths," Steinberg said.