California Hate: Gays & Religious Groups Target of Most Attacks
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Crimes targeting religious groups in California went up 44 percent in 2008, the FBI reported. Many of the offenses involved anti-Semitic graffiti.
Violence against gays climbed nearly 8 percent last year. The most notorious 2008 hate crime in Ventura County involved the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy by a classmate. Prosecutors allege it was a hate crime partly because the victim wore female clothing and told other students he was gay.
But there is a glimmer of hope in the latest FBI statistics. Overall, hate crimes in California dropped slightly in 2008, from 1,400 to 1,391.
Race-related offenses dropped more than 13 percent.
Posted Tuesday, Nov 24, 2009 - 5:56 PM PST
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