Hate crimes resulting in prosecution in California have increased by more than 100%—from 307 in 2016 to 679 in 2023—prompting Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón to announce that his office has launched a comprehensive approach to combat the problem, combining prosecution, education and community service.
Joined by Robin Toma, executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, and Jewish, Asian and African American leaders, Gascón said that in the face of rising hate crimes, his office is committed to not only holding perpetrators of hate crimes accountable but also addressing the root causes of bias and fostering community reconciliation.
In fact, in 2023, Gascón’s office prosecuted 77 of the 221 hate crime cases committed in nine California counties. San Diego followed with 30; Alameda County with 22; and San Diego and Santa Clara counties with 20 each.
“The numbers are disturbing,” the county attorney said.
Gascón said recent statistics highlight “the alarming trend” of hate crimes in California.
“These heinous acts have infiltrated our schools, public spaces and communities, threatening the sense of safety in our state,” said the district attorney, adding that “hate has no place in Los Angeles County.”
Exemplary sentences
On August 21, Kevin Mumin was sentenced to four years in state prison for a series of violent hate crimes.
In August 2023, Mumin targeted Latino men in three separate incidents based on their nationality/race/ethnicity, and aggressively confronted them, ultimately resulting in three violent assaults.
In February 2023, Mumin also sexually assaulted a young female high school student while she was riding the bus on the way to school.
The perpetrator was found guilty by a jury of three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of sexual assault by restraint.
Both the allegations of serious bodily harm and hate crimes were deemed credible.
Another case involved Israel Hernandez, who in December 2023 approached an African American man who was homeless and appeared vulnerable at a bus stop.
When the man refused Hernandez’s demand for money, he was brutally attacked, repeatedly punched in the face and subjected to racial slurs.
Hernandez was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated by hatred.
He was convicted and sentenced to four years in state prison.
Klinton Dion, an anti-Semitic vandal at multiple locations in Burbank and Glendale, caused fear in the Jewish community.
On August 23, 2024, Dion pleaded guilty to one count of vandalism of a place of worship and one count of placing a hate symbol on private property. He was sentenced to two years and eight months in state prison.
“Meaningful consequences for those who commit hate crimes in our communities are a necessary part of ensuring safety and a sense of belonging for everyone in a county as diverse as Los Angeles,” said Robin Toma, executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations.
An educational program
In addition to criminal prosecution, since October 2021, Attorney General Gascón’s office introduced the Hate Crimes Reconciliation Education and Counseling Program (REACCH).
This program combines anti-bias education with mental health support and victim reconciliation, with the aim of fostering understanding and preventing reoffending. The program has been expanded to include a substantial portion of the more than 50 hate crime cases that occur annually.
“How people understand justice is as important as how they approach it,” said Rabbi Daniel Cohen, a member of the district attorney’s first interfaith committee.
“Justice means understanding how to focus on both the victim and the harm; understanding what that harm is and also understanding that the perpetrator is probably doing what he did because of a misunderstanding of the victim.”
From 2021 to 2023, 84% of hate crime cases referred to the District Attorney’s Office were prosecuted as such, marking a notable increase from the previous administration’s record. In 2023 alone, the office prosecuted 79% of hate crime cases referred by law enforcement, one of the highest rates in the state and accounting for nearly a quarter of all hate crime prosecutions in California.