California hate crimes rise 2.7% in 2024; biggest jump against LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- More Californians person experienced a hatred transgression successful the past year.

The state's Attorney General, Rob Bonta, sharing successful a study Wednesday hatred crimes accrued by 2.7% from 2023 to 2024.

The biggest leap was acts against the LGBTQ+ community, which roseate by 13.9%.

Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore successful downtown Fresno felt that surge.

"We ended up getting escaped of Facebook wholly due to the fact that it was a hotbed for hate" co-owner of Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore, Ashley Mireles-Guerrero said.

The store carries a wide scope of books-showcasing number and queer authors and themes.

"We cognize that our community, which is simply a bulk number community, is looking for books astir radical similar them, and truthful erstwhile folks travel into the store, they spot themselves connected the shelves," Mireles-Guerrero stated.

Those books person been the people of caller hate, adjacent threatening telephone calls.

"Saying they wanted to get our books, destruct oregon pain them," she explained.

While the LGBTQ+ assemblage saw the biggest summation successful hatred crimes, acts against the Jewish assemblage successful the authorities saw the 2nd largest leap of 7.3%.

"For galore of us, it's ever been a concern," Rabbi Rick Winer with Temple Beth Israel said.

Winer says the assemblage has received alarming threats.

"We've had weaponry threats, we've had an incidental of swatting and threats to harm assemblage members," helium explained.

He says those numbers are underreported, truthful it's important to talk up if you spot oregon perceive thing that could beryllium a hatred crime.

"Even though it whitethorn beryllium thing that doesn't look excessively big, we request to cognize astir it," Winer stated.

Bonta's bureau is advising anyone who thinks they whitethorn person been a unfortunate of a hatred transgression to notify instrumentality enforcement, get aesculapian attraction if needed, and instrumentality notes oregon pictures of the scene.

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