In 2020, Kentucky reported the most anti-Black hate crimes in a decade, data shows
.JPG "Demonstrators march along West Main Street during the 20th night of protests in downtown Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, June 17, 2020. The protests come amid a nationwide outcry over the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville.")
Kentucky law enforcement agencies in 2020 reported more anti-Black hate crimes than they had in any year since 2010, according to newly-released data from the FBI.
Kentucky reported 71 anti-Black or African American hate crimes, which accounted for about 42.8 percent of all hate crimes in Kentucky last year, according to FBI data.
The number of hate crimes reported against Black victims in Kentucky increased about 18.3 percent from 2019 to 2020, according to FBI data. That was a smaller increase than the national average. Hate crimes against Black people increased about 39.7 percent across the United States, according to FBI data.
The FBI’s data was compiled using reports from 423 of 466 law enforcement agencies in Kentucky.
2020 was marked by mostly peaceful protests calling for more police accountability after the officer-involved slayings of George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Those demonstrations and subsequent discussions about racial justice generated some opposition.
Kentucky’s total number of hate crimes increased to 166 in 2020 from 145 in 2019, according to FBI data. Hate crimes had been significantly higher in previous years, with 380 reported in the commonwealth in 2017.
The majority of Kentucky’s hate crimes have been motivated by race, ethnicity or ancestry in each of the past five years, according to FBI numbers.
“Hate crimes are motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against a race, gender, gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and were committed against people, property, or society,” the FBI said on its crime data website. “Because motivation is subjective, it is sometimes difficult to know with certainty whether a crime resulted from the offender’s bias.
“The presence of bias alone does not necessarily mean that a crime can be considered a hate crime. Only when a law enforcement investigation reveals sufficient evidence to lead a reasonable and prudent person to conclude that the offender’s actions were motivated, in whole or in part, by their bias, should an agency report an incident as a hate crime.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 12:44 PM.