San Diego is no place for hate.
That’s the message from city leaders and community members during Unite Against Hate Week.
Two San Diego City Councilmen Thursday denounced hate amid a rise in hate crimes in the city, state and country, offering tools and resources to report incidents and support victims.
Councilmen Raul Campillo and Stephen Whitburn met Thursday during United Against Hate Week.
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"In District 3, we've seen targeted attacks on our LGBTQ+ community and businesses, a stark reminder that hate has real and harmful impacts on our friends, neighbors and loved ones," Whitburn said. "We cannot and will not allow hate to divide us or undermine the inclusive values that define our city."
“Let’s be very, very clear,” said Campillo, “San Diego stands firmly, and unequivocally, against hate in all its forms.”
Thursday morning, Campillo and Whitburn were joined by representatives from law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community for a news conference at Rich’s Nightclub in Hillcrest, one of several businesses in the area targeted in recent pellet gun attacks, some of which are being investigated as possible hate crimes.
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Other local communities have also been targeted by hate in recent weeks. Earlier this month, flyers spreading anti-Jewish hate were found littering cars in a Coronado neighborhood.
Following a post-pandemic spike in crime in 2021, rates of both violent and property crime in the city and state have declined. Not so for hate crimes, which have increased significantly from that date. According to a San Diego Association of Governments report, the number of incidents had grown from 81 in 2021 to 96 in 2022 and 133 in 2023 — an increase of 64%. The number of victims too has increased by 48% since 2021.
The top motivation for hate crimes in 2021 was race, making up about 70% of the incidents, followed by sexual orientation and religion. However, in 2023 — and displayed in quite a few incidents so far in 2024 — the percentage of crimes motivated by sexual orientation and religion have increased, from a respective 22% and 7% in 2021 to 31% and 24% in 2023.
Earlier this month, a 19-year-old man accused of carrying out a string of pellet gun shootings targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Hillcrest pleaded not guilty to battery charges and hate crime allegations.
Hernan Garduno Hernandez is accused in three separate gel-pellet shootings on six victims along University Avenue on the night of Sept. 7.
That night's first attack happened around 9:40 p.m., when a group of friends standing outside the Burger Lounge restaurant were fired on. Three of the victims were struck in the arms and legs.
About 15 minutes later, an employee of Urban Mo's Bar & Grill was outside when he was hit by a gel pellet, according to the case prosecutor. Twelve minutes later, a couple walking out of Urban Mo's were struck in their upper bodies. The couple saw a car drive past and heard laughter coming from the vehicle, she said.
The attacks happened in Hillcrest, the center of San Diego's LGBTQ+ community.
Whitburn and Campillo Thursday gave a nod to California vs. Hate, a free and confidential online and phone hotline available in more than 200 languages that allows people to report hate incidents and receive support — including legal, financial, mental health and mediation services, a statement from the councilmen read.
"Unfortunately, recent data has confirmed what our communities have already felt firsthand: Hate is on the rise in San Diego and across the nation," Campillo said. "By reporting hate incidents using tools like California vs. Hate, we end the normalization of behavior that truly has no place in San Diego or anywhere else."
Anybody can report a hate crime at CAvsHate.org or by calling 833-8-NO-HATE [(833) 866-4283] Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. 6 p.m., or by calling 211 anytime.
San Diego County is not alone in seeing a rise in hate. Gov. Gavin Newsom has acknowledged the problem and maintains the state is on the leading edge to address it.
"In California, we're coming together in solidarity to say no to the division and hate," he said. "From United Against Hate Week to cutting-edge anti-hate programs, we're leading the nation in the fight against hate. We're not going back and we're not giving up. We're committed to a California for all."
