Hate crimes — especially anti-Asian ones — surged in 2021, and D.C. in particular was a hotbed for hate crime reports, according to those who keep tabs on the issue.
The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, says D.C. fared the worst among major U.S. cities that have reliable hate crime numbers for 2021. D.C.’s rate of hate crimes based on population was higher than such cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.
The early results of this nationwide study — which were first reported by Axios — also found that while Black Americans remained the most targeted group in most cities, hate crimes against Asian Americans increased by 339% last year.
In D.C., there were 149 reports of hate crimes last year, including 23 classified as anti-Asian. In 2020, the District had 132 reports of hate crimes, with one listed as anti-Asian, according to the center.
While the pandemic has been a factor, “I really attribute a lot of the reporting of these hate crimes from just our outreach,” said D.C. police Capt. David Hong of the department’s Special Liaison Branch.
“On a daily basis, we’re going out. We’re working with the historically underserved communities. We’re promoting that you report hate crimes to us.”
Hong said many of the reported anti-Asian incidents last year involved suspects with mental health issues blaming the victims for the pandemic. The crimes ranged from threats to misdemeanor assaults, he said, and the majority of the victims were business owners.
Hong also said anti-Asian hate crime reports have “significantly declined” in the past few months.
Despite the troubling numbers last year, D.C. police figures show that overall, hate crimes are below the peak seen by the District between 2017 and 2019.
