Understanding the rise in San Antonio hate crimes
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Reports of hate crimes committed because of someone's race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity have skyrocketed locally, new data shows. But officials say the numbers don’t paint the full picture.
Why it matters: Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has increased among some far-right groups, leading to safety concerns.
- Last month, armed protesters and counter-protesters took to the street outside a drag show at the Aztec Theater. The display of firearms prompted a police presence, but there were no arrests, police spokesperson Washington Moscoso tells Axios.
By the numbers: In 2021, the San Antonio Police Department reported 15 hate crimes related to someone's sexual orientation and three related to gender identity, per FBI data released last month. 2021 is the most recent data available.
- Of all the hate crimes related to sexual orientation reported in the last 5 years, nearly two-thirds were in 2021.
- Reports of crimes related to race, ethnicity or ancestry also jumped. They stood at 43 in 2021, up from 10 in 2020 and five in 2019.
Yes, but: A new reporting system best explains the higher numbers — not necessarily a rise in hate crimes, Moscoso tells Axios.
- The latest report marks the first time annual hate crime statistics are reported entirely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which collects more detailed data for each incident compared to the previous system, the FBI said.
- The FBI also broadened the category for anti-LGBTQ+ identities, leading police to report more crimes under that label, Moscoso said.
- Even before the shift to NIBRS, the FBI changed the criteria for how local agencies reported crime to the federal government, Moscoso said. It took officers time to get up to speed.
Reality check: Data from outside the FBI's reporting system shows an increase in reports of hate crimes. The Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino puts together its own national report.
- Texas and San Antonio both broke records for reports of hate crimes, Brian Levin, director of the center, tells Axios.
- Levin also attributes the high numbers to reporting changes, but only in part.
What they're saying: "We've been seeing horrible increases in anti-LGBT violence, and we're very concerned about that," Levin tells Axios.
- "The reality of it is that there's hate crime," Moscoso tells Axios. "I wish there were zero hate crimes in San Antonio."
Details: The most common type of hate crime offense locally is "intimidation," with 27 reports from 2021, per the FBI data.
- That was followed by simple assault, with 21 reports, and aggravated assault, with 16 reports.
- State law protects against certain hate crimes, but prosecutions are rare, ProPublica previously reported.
Zoom out: Texas is unique for its adaptation to the new reporting system. Nationally, fewer police departments submitted their 2021 data to the FBI, leading to a slight drop nationally in hate crimes reported to the FBI. Researchers say the national numbers are flawed, per NPR.
Of note: Despite overall lower numbers, the FBI recorded a 35% increase in anti-LGBTQ+ crimes nationally, writes Axios’ Shawna Chen.