HATE CRIMES SOAR IN COUNTY COPYCAT ATTACKS TARGET RELIGION.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

Religion-motivated hate crimes rose more than 34 percent in Los Angeles County last year, driven largely by copycat incidents after the North Valley Jewish Community Center shooting rampage, according to a report released Wednesday.

The total number of hate crimes rose 11.7 percent across the county last year, to 859, the second-highest figure in 20 years, according to the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission report.

While religion-motivated hate crimes showed the largest increase, African-Americans were the No. 1 victims of hate crimes.

There were 137 religion-motivated crimes, including 118 - or 86 percent - directed against Jews, the report says. In 1998, Jews were the target of 86 out of 102 religious hate crimes.

The growth in anti-Semitic hate crimes is closely tied to the Aug. 10, 1999, shooting spree at the North Valley Jewish Community Center, officials said during a news conference. Buford O. Furrow, a self-described white supremacist from Washington state, is accused of the rampage.

``The attack in Granada Hills resulted in copycat incidents,'' said David Lehrer, western regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

``In terms of anti-Semitic incidents, California and Los Angeles County are bucking the national trend. Over the past five years nationally, we've had a 25 percent decrease in anti-Semitic incidents.''

While the overall crime rate has declined nationally and in Los Angeles, the study found hate crimes continue to rise. The highest number of hate crimes - 995 - was reported in 1996.

In the San Fernando Valley, hate crimes rose 22 percent, from 169 in 1998 to 206 last year, according to Los Angeles Police Department statistics released in January.

Efforts to stem hate crimes include:

--A $450,000 county program that focuses on the communities hardest hit by hate crimes, and a new commission Web site that will provide information about anti-hate resources and organizations.

--A District Attorney's Office program to rehabilitate juveniles who commit hate crimes.

--Legislation that calls for better reporting of hate crimes by schools and law enforcement agencies and the formation of a statewide human relations commission.

--The county Human Relations Commission has sponsored conferences, launched a public information campaign, funded community groups and developed a human relations curriculum for schools.

Authorities believe the overall increase is due in part to increased public awareness and reporting, coupled with greater efforts by law enforcement to investigate hate crimes.

The commission report found that violent hate crimes disproportionately target African-Americans, who were victims in 50 percent of the cases. In these cases, equal numbers of perpetrators were white and Latino.

``As African-Americans move out of the inner city into the suburbs, I've seen a reluctance by people to accept people who look different from them,'' county Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke said.

The report found hate crime prosecutions of juveniles went up 19 percent, marking an increase for the second consecutive year. Prosecutions of juveniles comprise more than half of all hate crime prosecutions.

``A growing number of racial hate crimes were carried out by racially based youth gangs, whose racism seems to blend with the timely tradition of pitting established residents against newcomers and also in defense of drug-selling territory,'' said Robin Toma, acting executive director of the Human Relations Commission.

District Attorney Gil Garcetti said prosecutors filed 174 hate crime cases last year, up from 83 in 1998.

Among them are three youths who burned a cross in Shadow Hills, a Latino man who assaulted of a gay Latino man, and a white elementary school principal in Panorama City who was beaten by two unknown assailants.

For the second year in a row, hate crimes on school campuses went up dramatically, rising 58.7 percent, from 46 to 73.

``The incident of hate crimes in our schools is very alarming,'' said county Supervisor Don Knabe.

Helped by a $150,000 federal grant, Garcetti started the Juvenile Offenders Learning Tolerance program in the Antelope Valley and expanded it to the Long Beach area. It provides hate crime prevention education in public schools and a diversion program for youths.

``These are low-level offenders, juveniles who we believe can be turned around so they do not commit more heinous hate crimes and we have seen some success there,'' Garcetti said.

The commission's study found the second-largest increase in hate crimes were related to sexual orientation - up 16.8 percent from 226 to 264. Racially motivated hate crimes were up 5 percent from 436 to 458.

``We also know that homophobic assaults are among the most violent, with 41 percent of hate crimes against gays and lesbians (involving) murder, attempted murder, assault and attempted assault,'' Toma said.

Gay rights activists said they believe hate crimes against gays rose after voter passage of Proposition 22, which bars same-gender marriages.

``We are witnessing a grisly and frightening trend,'' said Gwenn Baldwin, executive director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.

Although not all hate crimes were violent, the number of cases of murders and attempted murders rose from six to 16, assaults with deadly weapons from 122 to 134 and arson from one to six.

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Chart: CHARTING HATE'S RISE

A new report from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations shows an 11.7 percent rise in hate crimes, the second-highest total in 20 years.

Reuben J. Stern/Staff Artist