Posted by CotoBlogzz
It never ceases to
amazes us how politicians always flock to get associated with the "safest
city" nominations and or awards. For
example, the Orange County Sheriff's Department's blog will usually proudly
post a press release announcing how happy the department is because a city like
Mission Viejo is one the safest cities.
Then there is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 2009 Uniform Crime Report
indicates that the City of Rancho Santa Margarita is the safest city in the State for cities with a population greater
than 20,000 residents, marking the ninth consecutive year that the City of
Rancho Santa Margarita has been identified as one of the safest communities in
Orange County and the State.
Or what about Irvine being named the Safest City in Southern
California.
Now, we continue to assert that whether a city is the safest city in the county -
the state or the nation - or not is primarily a function of residents and
local governance, not law enforcement. Take for
instance the leadership demonstrated by the cities of Lake Forest and Mission
Viejo: Lake Forest's ordinance issuing a 45-day moratorium on medical marijuana
dispensaries in the city or the Mission Viejo City Council pioneering
work with underage drinking, being the county's first to pass the Social Host
ordinance. Certainly these two cases illustrate a more cost-efficient and
proactive approach to public safety than say theAVOID
program final 2009 Holiday results which
required three law enforcement agents for every arrest.
What about the other 11 cities or the
unincorporated areas? What about Coto de Caza with the highest crime rate
in history in early 2010. After all, only common denominator is that the
OCSD is the law enforcement agency. What does the OCSD do differently in
the safest city, as opposed to the least safe city under its watch? The
answer? Nothing, Zilch, Nada, Nicht!
Newsflash:
Whether a city is the safest city in the county or not is primarily a function
of residents and local governance, not law enforcement
Does anyone care that hate crimes in Orange County jumped 14
percent in 2011, according to the 20th annual report from OC Human Relations,
released yesterday? According to Rusty Kennedy, executive director of OC Human
Relations, last year, there were 64 documented hate crimes reported, up from 56
in 2010
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In 2009, 77 hate crimes were logged. There were 82 in 2008
and 101 in 2007.
Hate crimes involving religious bigotry were also up,
according to the report. Eight of the 15 religious hate crimes targeted the
Jewish community, seven were against Muslims and the rest involved Roman
Catholics and Mormons.
However African American residents have been the main target
of OC hate crimes going back to 2003. Although only 2 percent of Orange County
residents are black, 30 percent of hate crimes last year targeted African
Americans. Just last week, vandals
painted a swastika on the porch of a black family in Ladera Ranch, Kennedy
said.
There were seven incidents involving Latinos, Kennedy said,
adding that the commission believes Latino hate crimes are under reported
"The Human Relations Commission has been issuing this
report for 20 years, and I think for us, we want to say the county does not
accept this type of hate," Kennedy said. "In this time of partisan
politics there are the kinds of things that divide us, but one thing that
brings us together is our stand against hate crimes."
Bridges,'' Kennedy said. ``Really, at its core, it's to
fight hate and bigotry.
Our question is, where are the politicians taking credit for
low crime rate in Southern California?
Where is Sheriff Hutchens? Is
hate crime against African American and Latinos a necessary evil?
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