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Hate crimes on the rise in Arizona, FBI says
In Arizona last year, 264 hate crimes were reported, most of them in Phoenix.In just the past year, the FBI has identified more than 7,000 crimes and attacks across the U.S. Among the most targeted victims are Jewish.
Last year, a Phoenix couple found a swastika spray painted in front of their house and held a painting party to fight back.
“We were really sad and disappointed, but we really wanted to turn that around,” said Shoshana Simones.
They were one of more than 260 hate crimes reported in Arizona in 2017. The Anti-Defamation League tracks them all.
“Whether it’s against Jews, it’s anti-immigrant or against the Muslim community, all hate crimes matter,” said Carlos Galindo-Elvira, Arizona regional director for the ADL.
Hate crimes are up 17 percent nationwide, according to the FBI report—and up about 25 percent in Phoenix.
“Mostly vandalism flyering in neighborhoods, in some cases, unfortunately, in local school districts,” Galindo-Elvira said.
And in Arizona, they’re mostly racial and religious. According to the FBI, Arizona sees more hate crimes based on race than anything else, followed by hate crimes based on religion and then those based on sexual orientation.
The ADL says the question is whether people are getting more hateful, or they’re just more comfortable showing it.
Either way, it’s bad.
"If you consider the current hateful rhetoric and environments, it is not surprising,” Galindo-Elvira said.
But even the FBI doesn't' think these numbers are completely accurate—most police departments report no hate crimes—or don't report at all.
The FBI believes the real numbers of hate crimes are probably larger than they know.
“We were really sad and disappointed, but we really wanted to turn that around,” said Shoshana Simones.
They were one of more than 260 hate crimes reported in Arizona in 2017. The Anti-Defamation League tracks them all.
“Whether it’s against Jews, it’s anti-immigrant or against the Muslim community, all hate crimes matter,” said Carlos Galindo-Elvira, Arizona regional director for the ADL.
Hate crimes are up 17 percent nationwide, according to the FBI report—and up about 25 percent in Phoenix.
“Mostly vandalism flyering in neighborhoods, in some cases, unfortunately, in local school districts,” Galindo-Elvira said.
And in Arizona, they’re mostly racial and religious. According to the FBI, Arizona sees more hate crimes based on race than anything else, followed by hate crimes based on religion and then those based on sexual orientation.
The ADL says the question is whether people are getting more hateful, or they’re just more comfortable showing it.
Either way, it’s bad.
"If you consider the current hateful rhetoric and environments, it is not surprising,” Galindo-Elvira said.
But even the FBI doesn't' think these numbers are completely accurate—most police departments report no hate crimes—or don't report at all.
The FBI believes the real numbers of hate crimes are probably larger than they know.