Media Image Coalition Hosts December meeting with discussion on hate crimes at the Screen Actors Guild James Cagney Boardroom
The Media Image Coalition closed 2008 with a distinctive and informativemeeting focusing on the issue of Hate Crimes from the perspective of different communities. The forum was led by the host, Ray Bradford, president of MIC and National EEO Director for AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists).
The purpose of the meeting was to engage the community leaders in a discussion on how each group works to eliminate racism and bias targeting their community, and to draw attention to thevarious forms of these often violent manifestations against their diverse constituencies.
Robin S. Toma, Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, opened with a presentation on the Commission’s annual report on hate crimes from the county’s police agencies and an analysis of hate crime data, pointing out the 28% increase in LA County’s hate crimes in 2007 as contrary to the decline in crime locally and nationally. He noted that while 763 hate crimes is the highest total in 5 years, it is still below the higher average in the 90s. Toma also identified the groups most targeted by hate crime in our county, and highlighted the intersection between gangs and hate crime, particularly with regard to hate violence between African Americans and Latinos.
One participant asked whether it would not be more useful for small children to be taught human relations lessons at a younger age. While Toma saw the merit of someearly education on tolerance, he emphasized that the problem of hate speech, racism, homophobia, etc., was exacerbated when adolescents reached middle and high school.
“We need to help teenagers deal with the situations they’reconfronting, help them navigatetheintragroup dynamics we’re seeing among ninth and tenth graders, and giveyouth aviablealternatives to violence or joining a gang. They see other kids going to prison or dying on the streets. Do they want to risk their own lives? They need options and tools other than violence or incarceration,” he concluded.
Amanda Susskind, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League, a national organization in existence since 1913, pointed out that thegroup has been combating anti-Semitismand bigotry of all kinds. The original hate crime laws, sheindicated, were written by the ADL.
The organization, she states, is working on anti-bias education and prevention directed to children as young as 3 to 5 years of age, and reaches children K through 12.
“Our pre-school programs reach parents and teachers; it is a lot cheaper to teach a kid to respect others and to listen to what they say than to overlook that lesson. This is a real challenge in Los Angeles because while diverse, we are still segregated in our own communities. Yes, maybe we seeeach other at work or while taking mass transit, but it is still a fairly segregated city.
“Parents need to beengaged in teaching their children tolerance and respect at a very early age,” she indicated. Even moredangerous, she pointed out, are white supremacists and skinhead groups who are directing their messages of hate to young white men between the ages of 15 and 22 years. “Parents need to be aware of what kind of internet sites their kids are viewing. You can’t just talk about sex and drugs; you have to educate your kids on hate. We used to see a few national white supremacist groups, but now we have more than 1000 skinhead groups and more than 110 white supremacist groups, and they are targeting our children.”
Ms. Susskind also was concerned about theunderreporting of hate crimes. “We have 13,500 agencies that report hate crimes to the FBI. What percentage do you think reported hate crimes? 15% reported hate crimes. That is a low percentage. Sometimes it stems from ignorance about what is a hate crime on the part of law enforcement; sometimes it is reluctance by some in the community who are scared to report these types of crimes, particularly if the victims are undocumented. We are fortunate that Los Angeles law enforcement is well informed on the subject,” she concluded.
SharonShelton, Senior Director Empowerment Services, YWCA Greater Los Angeles, informed the group that her organization’s mission was to empower women and to combat racism, and that this had been an ongoing mission since the group’s inception in 1894.
“We are delighted to be here with all of you because we want to spread the word about our work in Los AngelesCounty; working with young women and single mothers and others, all with the hope that we can equip these women with the tools to improve their lives,” she said.
“We hear daily from our participants on how they are impacted by racism. This leads to depression and some other issues. Law enforcement comes into these low-incomeneighborhoods, knocking on doors, and when they leave,those who arelaw-abiding residents are impacted in a very negative way.
“The YWCA is not just recreation. Instead, we provide child development services and after-school programs, financial empowerment, assistance to theelderly and a rape crisis center. So wehelp the community in many positive ways.
“Our message is that while you did not know what the YWCA did in the past, we certainly will make you aware of our activities in the future, especially in our fight to empower women and combat racism and gang warfare.”
Damon Romine of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD) spoke about the issues impacting the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities, especially in the way they are portrayed in the media.
“LGBT hate crimes are a problem and we see that the numbers arerising, perhaps becausemore people are reporting thesetypes of crimes,” says Romine. “We are fortunate that the LACHRC captures the transgender hate crimes, because these are not counted by the FBI. So there is a void in theenumeration of these crimes, and we need to point out to local media that these crimes do exist and need to be addressed.”
Romine pointed out that one in 18,000 persons is murdered in our society; this ratio becomes one in 12 in the transgender community. He also cited the fact that the FBI says that 16% of hate crimes are perpetrated on the LGBT community; that translates to 13 gays or lesbians out of 100,000 being subjected to hate crimes. Only seven states will prosecute individuals who commit these types of crimes against a person from the LGBT community.”
On thetenth anniversary of the Matthew Sheppard crime, GLAAD sent out 50 editorials to 50 states and is vigorously working on educating print and electronic media on gay issues throughout the country.
Asked about the backlash after the vote on California’s Proposition 8, Romine pointed out that the vote has generated more discussion on civil rights issues.
“We are seeing greater support and mobilization of people across the country because they see the larger ramifications of civil rights being taken away from other groups. If the civil rights are taken away from the LGBT community, who is going to be next? Whether you agree with the gay marriage issue or not, people are realizing that this is about writing discrimination into the Constitution. So now we have a much larger group of people who are helping to tell the story.”
The YWCA Greater Los Angeles graciously provided dinner, and AFTRA the refreshments, to representatives from a variety of organizations including AFTRA, the Anti-Defamation League, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, GLAAD, the Jamaica Cultural Alliance, the National Association of Multi-Ethnic Americans, the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, Mustard Seed Films, the NAACP, the Screen Actors Guild and Youth Radio.
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