Fault Lines and Atmospheric Shifts: Understanding Temporal Spikes in Racially Motivated Hate Crimes in Los Angeles County

This paper explores the narratives and underlying dynamics of two peak periods of racially motivated hate crime in Los Angeles County. Utilizing a multi-method, grounded theory approach to 20 years of data from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, we highlight two distinct peaks in 2007 and 2022. The first peak can largely be attributed to localized conflicts emphasizing the interplay between institutional and socioeconomic racial divisions. The second peak is characterized by a broader set of conditions, including heightened anti-immigrant rhetoric, political polarization, and the societal strains of the COVID-19 pandemic. The interaction of local, regional, and national factors and their subsequent effects on hate crimes are analyzed, revealing that racially motivated hate crimes are multifaceted and driven by both material and discursive factors and interactions. We use the metaphors of “fault lines” and “atmospheric shifts” to suggest a broader theoretical frame that draws connections between hate crimes and larger social phenomena and social histories. This comprehensive exploration provides crucial insights into the rise in racially motivated hate crimes and suggests a need for broad solutions and policies to address the roots of racial antagonism.