In their latest piece for Irvine Weekly, staff writer Evan J. Lancaster reports that hate-related crimes are increasing in Orange County, CA. The Irvine Police Department recently contributed data to the Orange County Human Relations Commission’s 2021 Hate Crimes Report that shows 398 hate-motivated instances reported in 2021.This is a significant increase from the year prior, estimated to be a 5% growth in reporting.
“This year, the Irvine Police Department has documented a combined total of 22 reported hate crimes and hate incidents,” writes Lancaster. “While the year is still a few months from being over, hate-motivated incidents have sharply decreased from 12 months prior. In 2021, the city of Irvine reported a total of 91 hate-motivated instances.”