Chicago, IL -
Today, Center on Halsted (formerly Horizons Community Services), in conjunction with The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), released its 2003 hate crime report regarding anti - lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) violence in the U.S. The Anti-Violence Project of Center on Halsted (COH or “the Center”) collects hate crime data for the Chicagoland area, and is one of 27 community-based organizations that contribute to the nation-wide effort to monitor and respond to incidents of hate crimes, domestic violence, sexual assault, police misconduct and discrimination committed against LGBT people.
Eleven NCAVP members collected detailed information about anti-LGBT incidents occurring in their cities and regions throughout 2003, including, Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Colorado, Columbus, OH, Connecticut, Los Angeles, CA, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, NY, Pennsylvania, and San Francisco, CA.
The total number of anti-LGBT incidents reported to NCAVP increased 8% last year, from 1,903 incidents in 2002 to 2,052 incidents in 2003. Almost in tandem, the number of victims tracked by NCAVP member programs rose 9%, from 2,183 in 2002 to 2,385 in 2003.
In 2003, Chicago reported a total of 56 incidents, up 75% from 2002’s total of 32. A rise in the number of victims accompanied the rise in incidents from 31 to 56 (+81%). Perhaps equally as alarming was the increase in the number of offenders from 46 to 72. Increases in hate crimes in 2003 resulted not only from increases in serial offenders (+140%) but also from a larger number of individuals willing to act with violence and/or discrimination (+57%).
Lisa Tonna, Manager of Advocacy and Legislative Affairs at the Center stated that, “It is no surprise that our numbers increased last year. In addition to our agency having a full time Victim Advocacy Coordinator for the entire year, we were a country at war overseas. History has shown that it is not unusual for violence to increase on the homefront when we are at war. In addition,” Tonna stated, “as soon as the Lawrence v. Texas case hit the news, and LGBT communities were celebrating across the nation, anti-violence activists were concerned that LGBT communities and individuals would soon be targeted with anti-gay rhetoric and violence. Our concerns, unfortunately appear to have been warranted. ”
In fact Chicago was one of six regions that saw an increase in hate crimes during the six months following the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Lawrence v. Texas case, which struck down sodomy laws across the nation. From July to December 2003, incidents increased from 15 in 2002 to 33 in 2003 for a 120% increase compared to an already disturbing 35% increase in the first 6 months of the year. In addition, as LGBT communities in Chicago made strides on the local level with Cook County same-sex partnerships being implemented October 1, 2003, a backlash against our community surfaced via hate mail received by Robert Castillo and John Pennycuff, the first couple to register on October 1. Many others reported to Center on Halsted during the year that they too were targets of hate mail and calls.
While the Center’s Anti-Violence Project’s numbers increased, the Chicago Police Department reported a 28% decrease in LGBT bias motivated crimes last year, dropping from 43 in 2002 to 31 in 2003. Center on Halsted numbers show that only 34% (19) of incidents in 2003 were reported to police, compared to 48% in 2002. Tonna noted that, “It’s important to remember that the Center collects data not only on bias crimes but also on incidents of bias too. We are interested in capturing the anti-LGBT climate. By doing this we can take preventative measures, collaborating with the police to ensure that “bias incidents” don’t turn into violent crimes.”
Modesto Valle, Acting Executive Director of Center on Halsted added, “It may be that given the anti-LGBT climate, people are not feeling as safe about coming forward to the police and making critical reports. In addition, the NCAVP states that hate crimes go unreported 80% of the time. We encourage victims of anti-LGBT hate to reach out to us for support. Our Victim Advocate will help a person navigate the often complicated criminal justice system.”
Incidents involving assault increased from 10 to 22, a 120% increase, and those involving harassment grew from 19 to 25, (+32%). 14 victims sustained injuries - a 40% increase from 2002. In 3 cases the injuries were serious. Outpatient treatment was required in 10 cases in 2003, versus 4 in 2002. No hospitalization was required in any of the cases.
Private residences accounted for 22 (39%) of the incident sites in 2003 - a significant increase from 2002 where only 7 (22%) incidences occurred in private residences. The workplace and public area were the next two highest site categories with 9 (16%) each. School/college accounted for 4 (7%) of the incidents, a 300% increase from the previous year. The increase in private residence incidents seems to parallel an increase in offenders identified as landlords, tenants or neighbors. It may also reflect a growing willingness on the part of victims to report crimes and incidents perpetrated by family members, landlords, tenants, and neighbors.
2003 saw an enormous increase in female offenders going from 4 in 2002 to 17 in 2003, while male offenders also increased from 28 to 42. Whereas women made up only 13% of the known offenders in 2002, they made up 29% of known offenders in 2003.
Among all offenders in 2003, 33 (46%) offenders were strangers, 8 (11%) were employers/co-workers, 7 (10%) were tenants/landlords/neighbors, 5 (7%) were service providers, 5 (7%) were relatives, and 4 (5%) were law enforcement officers - nearly a 20% decrease from 2002.
Eleven NCAVP members collected detailed information about anti-LGBT incidents occurring in their cities and regions throughout 2003, including, Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Colorado, Columbus, OH, Connecticut, Los Angeles, CA, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, NY, Pennsylvania, and San Francisco, CA.
The total number of anti-LGBT incidents reported to NCAVP increased 8% last year, from 1,903 incidents in 2002 to 2,052 incidents in 2003. Almost in tandem, the number of victims tracked by NCAVP member programs rose 9%, from 2,183 in 2002 to 2,385 in 2003.
In 2003, Chicago reported a total of 56 incidents, up 75% from 2002’s total of 32. A rise in the number of victims accompanied the rise in incidents from 31 to 56 (+81%). Perhaps equally as alarming was the increase in the number of offenders from 46 to 72. Increases in hate crimes in 2003 resulted not only from increases in serial offenders (+140%) but also from a larger number of individuals willing to act with violence and/or discrimination (+57%).
Lisa Tonna, Manager of Advocacy and Legislative Affairs at the Center stated that, “It is no surprise that our numbers increased last year. In addition to our agency having a full time Victim Advocacy Coordinator for the entire year, we were a country at war overseas. History has shown that it is not unusual for violence to increase on the homefront when we are at war. In addition,” Tonna stated, “as soon as the Lawrence v. Texas case hit the news, and LGBT communities were celebrating across the nation, anti-violence activists were concerned that LGBT communities and individuals would soon be targeted with anti-gay rhetoric and violence. Our concerns, unfortunately appear to have been warranted. ”
In fact Chicago was one of six regions that saw an increase in hate crimes during the six months following the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Lawrence v. Texas case, which struck down sodomy laws across the nation. From July to December 2003, incidents increased from 15 in 2002 to 33 in 2003 for a 120% increase compared to an already disturbing 35% increase in the first 6 months of the year. In addition, as LGBT communities in Chicago made strides on the local level with Cook County same-sex partnerships being implemented October 1, 2003, a backlash against our community surfaced via hate mail received by Robert Castillo and John Pennycuff, the first couple to register on October 1. Many others reported to Center on Halsted during the year that they too were targets of hate mail and calls.
While the Center’s Anti-Violence Project’s numbers increased, the Chicago Police Department reported a 28% decrease in LGBT bias motivated crimes last year, dropping from 43 in 2002 to 31 in 2003. Center on Halsted numbers show that only 34% (19) of incidents in 2003 were reported to police, compared to 48% in 2002. Tonna noted that, “It’s important to remember that the Center collects data not only on bias crimes but also on incidents of bias too. We are interested in capturing the anti-LGBT climate. By doing this we can take preventative measures, collaborating with the police to ensure that “bias incidents” don’t turn into violent crimes.”
Modesto Valle, Acting Executive Director of Center on Halsted added, “It may be that given the anti-LGBT climate, people are not feeling as safe about coming forward to the police and making critical reports. In addition, the NCAVP states that hate crimes go unreported 80% of the time. We encourage victims of anti-LGBT hate to reach out to us for support. Our Victim Advocate will help a person navigate the often complicated criminal justice system.”
Incidents involving assault increased from 10 to 22, a 120% increase, and those involving harassment grew from 19 to 25, (+32%). 14 victims sustained injuries - a 40% increase from 2002. In 3 cases the injuries were serious. Outpatient treatment was required in 10 cases in 2003, versus 4 in 2002. No hospitalization was required in any of the cases.
Private residences accounted for 22 (39%) of the incident sites in 2003 - a significant increase from 2002 where only 7 (22%) incidences occurred in private residences. The workplace and public area were the next two highest site categories with 9 (16%) each. School/college accounted for 4 (7%) of the incidents, a 300% increase from the previous year. The increase in private residence incidents seems to parallel an increase in offenders identified as landlords, tenants or neighbors. It may also reflect a growing willingness on the part of victims to report crimes and incidents perpetrated by family members, landlords, tenants, and neighbors.
2003 saw an enormous increase in female offenders going from 4 in 2002 to 17 in 2003, while male offenders also increased from 28 to 42. Whereas women made up only 13% of the known offenders in 2002, they made up 29% of known offenders in 2003.
Among all offenders in 2003, 33 (46%) offenders were strangers, 8 (11%) were employers/co-workers, 7 (10%) were tenants/landlords/neighbors, 5 (7%) were service providers, 5 (7%) were relatives, and 4 (5%) were law enforcement officers - nearly a 20% decrease from 2002.
