WORCESTER, MA — Worcester police investigated 12 crimes motivated by hate or bias in 2019, and more than one-third of those crimes were against gay men, according to the department.
Worcester police Capt. Michael McKiernan reported the statistics on Monday night to the Human Rights Commission. Four possible hate crimes were committed against Black residents; the department also investigated one possible hate crime each against Latinos, Jews and Muslims, McKiernan said.
McKiernan declined to speak about trends in hate crimes, saying that each year differs greatly. The department tracks crimes where charges were filed, but also ones where hate is simply suspected as a motive.
Worcester reported investigating seven hate crimes in 2018 and eight in 2017, according to FBI statistics.
Of the 12 cases in 2019, police made seven arrests in possible hate crime cases. A magistrate dismissed charges in four of the cases, and two cases were still open as of this week. Two cases resulted in guilty pleas. A majority of the cases involved assault, but at least four also involved property damage.
The crimes against gay men occurred throughout 2019, and were not concentrated around gay pride month in June, McKiernan said.
McKiernan did not report the number of incidents so far in 2020. At least one incident this year involved a Jewish temple. In early August, Worcester police arrested a 28-year-old city man after he went to Temple Emanuel Sinai and Jewish Community Center along Salisbury Street, yelled at people there and kicked a sign with a Jewish Star of David, according to charges.
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