Bias Crimes and Incidents in Seattle

2000 to 2005

An analysis by type of bias and neighborhood

report by Ken Molsberry

edited by Kristina Armenakis

Hate Crime Awareness Project

To view the full report, see full report - 37 pages (Adobe Acrobat, 510kb).

For data and other files, see the Downloads table at the bottom of this page.

Summary

Using data provided by Seattle Police Department, bias-motivated attacks are found to be prevalent in every Seattle neighborhood. With an awareness of the number and types of bias attacks committed in their areas, neighborhood activists, community organizations, and City agencies have a necessary and valuable tool in their work to reduce such attacks.

During the study period from January 2000 to December 2005, there were 403 bias-motivated attacks in the city. The primary biases exhibited were based on race (142 attacks) and sexual orientation (119 attacks). Other biases were, in decreasing order: religion, national origin, political ideology, and gender identity.

An analysis was done by geographic area based on Seattle’s established neighborhoods. The city was divided into 18 neighborhood areas.

Bias attacks occurred in every neighborhood area, with the First Hill / Capitol Hill / Eastlake area having the highest number, 76 reports. The Downtown / Belltown / Pioneer Square / South Lake Union area had the next-highest with 48 reports. Even ostensibly “safe” neighborhoods had substantial numbers of bias-motivated attacks – Ballard / Crown Hill, for example, had 15, as did Fremont / Wallingford.

A second analysis was done by year. There was a sharp peak in 2001, with every category of bias attacks being higher over the prior year. In particular, attacks based on national origin increased more than 300%. The following year, 2002, the number of bias-motivated attacks fell to a level much closer to, but still higher than, the number experienced in 2000. The total number of attacks fell to a recent low in 2003 but experienced a small increase in 2004 and another increase in 2005.

A third analysis was done to discern the “9/11 effect” – the effect on the number and types of bias crimes and incidents as a result of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. Relative to the period before 9/11, the period after saw a 220% increase in attacks based on national origin. Substantial increases were also seen in the political ideology, sexual orientation, and religion bias types. The total number of bias attacks was 24% higher in the period immediately following 9/11 than in the same period prior.

Finally, the statistics for Seattle for 2002, 2003, and 2004 were compared to those gathered nationwide by the FBI. Rates for bias attacks based on sexual orientation were significantly higher in Seattle (ranging between 30% and 42% in those three years) than they were nationwide (17%). Conversely, attacks based on either race or religion comprised a significantly smaller proportion in Seattle than nationally.

About the author

Ken Molsberry has resided in Seattle since 1979, currently in the Ballard neighborhood where he lives with his same-sex partner. As gay people, the author and his life-partner are potential victims of one of the most prevalent types of bias attack, that targeted to sexual orientation. As a concerned citizen, the author is aware that bias attacks of all types harm innocent people and damage the livability of the city where he makes his home.

Mr. Molsberry is a computer systems and data analyst for the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington State University. Although he is a City employee, no City resources were used in the creation of this study, with the exception of the time spent by Seattle Police Department to respond to two public disclosure requests for information. Expenses for the production of this study, including a copying fee for the public disclosure request, have been provided by the author and the Hate Crime Awareness Project of the Seattle LGBT Community Center. Opinions expressed in this report are those solely of the author and do not represent positions of the City Attorney’s Office or the City of Seattle.

Acknowledgments

The author extends his thanks to:

• Seattle Police Department for providing the raw data for this analysis. In particular, thanks go to Maria L. Guzman and Sheila Friend Gray of SPD’s Public Request Unit for their assistance in obtaining the data. Thanks also go to Mark Howard of SPD’s Emergency Preparedness Bureau and who also facilitates the Seattle Police / LGBTQ Advisory Council, for his assistance interpreting the data. Thanks also to Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel and Detective Suzanne Moore for their help and encouragement.
• The victim of the assault described in Chapter 1 for coming forward with his story to the police and (following inaction by police investigators due to a misclassification of the crime) to the press, and his cooperation in gathering information about the assault.
• Robert Raketty, reporter for Seattle Gay News, for reporting on the assault described in Chapter 1 and for his assistance in gathering information about it.
• Julee Pate, formerly of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights and of the Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities, for her insight and for her participation in a telephone interview.
• The members of the Seattle Police / LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning) Advisory Council, in particular its chair Suzanne Adams. The LGBTQ Advisory Council is one of several Community Advisory Councils working in conjunction with SPD, of which the others include East African, African American, Korean, Latino, Arab/Muslim, Southeast Asian, Filipino, and Youth.
• Genevieve Aguilar, Field Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, for reviewing a draft of this study and offering valuable suggestions for improvement.
• Shannon Thomas, Executive Director of Seattle LGBT Community Center, for her support and assistance.
• Editor Kristina Armenakis, Coordinator of the Hate Crime Awareness Project, for her help and insight. The Hate Crime Awareness Project is a partnership of Seattle LGBT Community Center and Safe Schools Coalition.

Finally, the author would like to thank his life-partner Chris Vincent for his assistance in processing the data, and for his encouragement.

Downloads

To read the report, click the link below.

full report - 37 pages

Adobe Acrobat

510kb

Other downloads and links:

data used in the report	Microsoft Excel	241kb
Seattle Police Dept. response to data request	Adobe Acrobat	3,928kb
Seattle Police Dept. response to second data request	Adobe Acrobat	967kb
Improving Our Response to Bias Attacks – Recommendations for Seattle City Council by Ken Molsberry, Kristina Armenakis, and Robert S. Jacobs	Microsoft Word	42kb
Seattle Police Dept.’s response to Improving Our Response to Bias Attacks – Recommendations for Seattle City Council	Adobe Acrobat	76kb
response to Seattle Police Dept.’s response to recommendations	Microsoft Word	64kb
FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics 2004 report	Adobe Acrobat	1,424kb
‘We Are Not The Enemy’ – Hate Crimes Against Arabs, Muslims, and Those Perceived to be Arab or Muslim after September 11 by Human Rights Watch (2002)	Adobe Acrobat	524kb
Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper article on the report by Athima Chansanchai	link
Hate Crimes In Seattle forum: PowerPoint presentation hosted by Seattle Human Rights Commission and Seattle Commission For Sexual Minorities (9/2006)	Microsoft PowerPoint	2,521kb
Hate Crimes In Seattle forum: handout, and recommendations hosted by Seattle Human Rights Commission and Seattle Commission For Sexual Minorities (9/2006)	Microsoft Word	408kb
Hate Crimes In Seattle forum: video hosted by Seattle Human Rights Commission and Seattle Commission For Sexual Minorities (9/2006)	link