Report: Hate crimes surged in most US big cities in 2022
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According to a new report, this is the second consecutive year that big cities have seen an increase in hate crimes.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, is joined by US Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., third from left, at a news conference to discuss an Asian-American hate crime bill, on April 19, 2021, in New York. (AP)
A new report has revealed that most big cities in the US saw the second year of record hate crimes of nearly 1,889 cases.
Only days ago, a white man driven by racial hatred shot dead three Black people in a Florida discount store, before killing himself after a standoff with police, authorities confirmed.
The hate crime analysis by California State University, San Bernardino's Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, shows a 22-year pattern of escalating hate crimes nationwide, particularly a rise in white nationalism and a surge in attacks against Asian Americans during the epidemic.
Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest city, had the most recorded hate crimes with a total of 609.
The highest rise was 84.6% in Chicago, the third-largest city, followed by 58.6% in Austin, Texas.
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Sacramento, California, had the highest percentage increase in hate crimes (47.4%), followed by Kansas City, Mo. (32.3%), among smaller cities with populations of 500,000 to 1 million.
Although black Americans were the most commonly targeted group in many areas, the survey found that Asian Americans, whites, and Jews were also subjected to significant hate crimes.
In April 2022, CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that compared to 2020, cases of discrimination and harassment against Muslims in America rose by 9% in 2021.
Asian Americans have been subjected to increased hatred after the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. In the past, Donald Trump called the virus the "Chinese virus," reinforcing the idea that China was to blame for the outbreak.
Last year in May, a new report indicated Americans continue to harbor distrust of their Asian counterparts, and some even blame them for the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While Asian Americans make up 7% of the population in the US, they report feeling isolated and discriminated against in the wake of rising anti-Asian violence and anti-Chinese political rhetoric.
According to Brian Levin of the San Bernardino Center, a climate where civil war is actively discussed fuels hate crimes, as well as social media, due to the speed with which it spreads hatred.
Although some early numbers indicated a decline in hate crimes at the start of the year, Levin remarked that they usually pick up near religious holidays and close to presidential elections.
