A recent study by CSU San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found an overall 15% increase in reported hate crimes in Los Angeles in 2016. Hate crimes against LGBTQ people rose almost 25%. The study showed even bigger increases in the overall number of incidents in 2014 and 2015. The trend is different in West Hollywood, according to a new analysis by WeHo by the Numbers, based on data from the FBI.
The number of reported hate crime incidents varied widely over the last 20 years in West Hollywood. The lowest count was four, which happened in 2000 and in 2006. The highest was 21 in 2002. The recent high was 13 in 2012. The average over the whole period was 10 incidents per year.
In the most recent three years with available data, the number of hate crimes in West Hollywood was stable and below the historical average. The city experienced about six hate crime incidents per year in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The small differences were not statistically significant. The 2016 total is not yet available.
Almost two-thirds of West Hollywood’s hate crime incidents were motivated by sexual-orientation bias during the 2011-2015 period. A third were motivated by race/ethnicity bias. One incident was due to religion bias.
By contrast, hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity made up a quarter of the incidents in Los Angeles in 2015. Almost half of the incidents were motivated by race/ethnicity and one quarter by religion bias.
To find out how hate crimes in West Hollywood compared to other nearby cities like Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, see the full report, Are hate crimes rising in West Hollywood like they are in Los Angeles?
