Hate Crime Up: Hate Crimes committed in Orange County rose 14% in 2011. This tally of 64 reported hate crimes in 2011 is up from 56 reported in 2010.
Race/Ethnicity Motive in 50% of Crimes: 30 of the hate crimes reported in Orange County in 2011 targeted victims based on their perceived race, ethnicity or national origin.
Religious Hate Crime Up: Approximately 25% of hate crimes targeted individuals based on their perceived religion.
Sexual Orientation Hate Crime Up: There was an increase in hate crimes against the Gay/Lesbian community – from 5 in 2010, to 7 in 2011.
While these numbers may seem small in a county with a population of over 3 million, it is important to recognize that each hate crime included in the report represents one of our neighbors who was targeted simply because of some aspect of their being – their ethnicity, religion, race, sexual orientation or ability.
