ATLANTA — The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its 2020 Hate Crime report Monday, which shows hate crime rates are at a 10-year high.
According to the report, last year, there were 7,759 criminal incidents and 10,532 related offenses as being "motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity." These crimes were reported to 15,136 law enforcement agencies across the nation in 2020.
The FBI said there were 10,528 victims of single-bias hate crimes, and its report revealed more than half of those crimes were committed for intimidation. They also found 27.6% of the crimes committed were for simple assault and 18.1% for aggravated assault.
The report also found 61.9% of victims were targeted because of race, ethnicity, or ancestry bias. The number of offenses targeting Black and African Americans went up by more than 800 incidents, and offenses toward Asian Americans jumped by nearly 90.
Additionally, the report found that most hate crimes happened near homes, highways, roads, alleys, streets, and sidewalks.
In Georgia, 2020 hate crime data shows there were 90 crimes committed due to intimidation, 56 for simple assault, 38 for destruction, damage, and vandalism of property, 25 for aggravated assault, and five for larceny, which is a total of 235 classified hate crimes.
In comparison, here is the data for classified hate crimes in the previous 10 years:
- 2019: 172
- 2018: 43
- 2017: 230
- 2016: 46
- 2015: 49
- 2014: 50
- 2013: 72
- 2012: 21
- 2011: 21
- 2010: 19
Georgia's 2020 hate crime data shows 88 of those crimes were committed at a victim's home, and nearly all were directed toward an individual.
This year, 11Alive has reported on a few cases of crimes across metro Atlanta where the victims felt they were targeted because they’re Asian American.
In May, Johnny Hang's windows were shattered at his home in Lawrenceville. A month earlier, an Asian American family said someone opened fire on their home after moving to metro Atlanta.
Back in March, someone spray-painted an Asian racial slur on Sonethida Siharath's car in Suwanee while she and her husband were inside a movie theater.