D.A. Gascón touts record of prosecuting those who commit hate crimes

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón highlighted three recent cases Thursday in which his office secured convictions on hate-related charges and called for more awareness about crimes driven by prejudice.

“We have no tolerance for hate in our community,” he said during a news conference at the Hall of Justice, adding later that “police are doing their work, we’re prosecuting cases.”

Gascón’s remarks come nearly four years after he issued a widely criticized directive ordering prosecutors to stop seeking sentencing enhancements that allow for added penalties for those who are convicted of hate crimes and certain other categories of offenses.

Less than two weeks after he introduced the order, however, he reversed course, declaring in a December 2020 open letter that his deputies could resume filing enhancements “in cases involving the most vulnerable,” including victims of hate crimes.

In a phone interview after the D.A.’s event, Nathan Hochman, Gascón’s opponent in the race for his seat, criticized Gascón’s “anemic efforts” to combat hate crimes and prosecute those who commit them.

“He’s effectively gaslighting the public and trying to make them believe that he’s being proactive in trying to go after hate criminals … but the reality is he’s not,” Hochman said.

Asked how his policies differed from those of his predecessor, Jackie Lacey, and the proposed policies of Hochman, the district attorney said that the event was “not a political conversation” and that he would not discuss the campaign.

But his approach to prosecuting hate crimes “differs greatly from my predecessor,” Gascón said. “We have increased the number of cases that are being prosecuted, substantially. ... Also, our conviction rate far exceeds not only the state average but far exceeds the prior administration’s.”

Asked to provide figures to back up his claims about his office’s conviction rate, Gascón said he did not have those numbers on hand but “I know that we’re getting very good results.” The campaign provided only information about his office’s filing rate.

Between 2016 and 2023, the number of hate crimes reported in California has more than doubled from 307 to 679. In 2023, the D.A.’s office filed 77 hate crime cases, according to state Department of Justice figures. L.A. County prosecutors filed charges in 84% of the potential hate crime cases referred to the D.A.’s office by law enforcement last year, according to Gascón.

But Hochman criticized Gascón for not providing more details.

“The only statistic that he thinks is worthy of consideration is filing percentage. But he doesn’t tell you how many cases were filed vs. how many cases could have been filed,” Hochman said. “Of the hate crime prosecutions, how many of those resulted in jail time? How many of those people ended up getting bail?”

Gascón was flanked by members of his much-touted D.A.’s office advisory boards that represent the interests of groups that have been targets of hate crimes in recent years in L.A. County, such as members of the Latino, LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities.

Robin Toma, executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, spoke Thursday in support of Gascón’s efforts to fight against hate crimes.

“When our community has been threatened by hate crimes, he has been there,” Toma said. “We need meaningful consequences for those who commit hate crimes, no doubt about it.”

Among the cases highlighted by Gascón on Thursday:

On Aug. 21, Kevin Mumin was sentenced to four years in prison for a series of hate-driven assaults against Latino men and the sexual assault of a girl riding the bus to high school.

Israel Hernandez was recently sentenced to four years in prison for the brutal, hate-driven beating of an unhoused African American man in December 2023.

On Aug. 23, Klinton Dion pleaded guilty to one count each of vandalizing a place of worship and placing a symbol of hate on public property, both driven by antisemitism. He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.