Race-based hate crimes spike in D.C.; whites most common victims, but underreporting feared

Race-based hate crimes jumped in Washington, D.C., last year even as most other types of bias crimes decreased, with analysts saying such incidents could be vastly underreported among minority groups uncomfortable coming forward to authorities.

D.C. police say that of the 18 race-based hate crimes in 2013, the majority of victims were white and the majority of suspects black. The number of incidents was up from the 13 race-based bias crimes reported in 2012.

The disclosure comes as a wave of protests and unrest after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, has highlighted racial tension in the St. Louis suburb and prompted widespread calls for an evaluation of race relations between communities and their police departments.

The number of hate crimes reported in the District fell overall from 81 in 2012 to 70 in 2013.

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