FBI Report: 7 Hate Crimes in Chesterfield, 1 in New Baltimore in 2010

Seven hate crimes took place in Chesterfield Township and one in New Baltimore in 2010, according to recently released FBI statistics.

With seven hate crimes involving race, Chesterfield towered over higher populated cities on the list, including Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids for those types of crimes. But, other communities that have populations lower than Chesterfield saw five or six race-related hate crimes, such as Eastpointe and Cadillac, respectively.

The report does not cite details about the hate crimes, rather it lists them in categories of race, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation and disability.

Chesterfield did not see any hate crimes from the other categories in 2010. Three of the incidents took place in the third quarter of last year while the other four happened in the fourth quarter, according to the report.

The hate crimes occurred after a tremendous population growth in the community. From 2000 to 2010, the township grew from 37,405 to 43,381 residents, respectively, according to Census data. that about 92.5 percent of the community's population is white, four percent is black, 2.1 percent is Hispanic or Latino, less than one percent is Asian and less than a half percent is American Indian.

In less-populated New Baltimore, there was one hate crime in 2010 that took place at the end of the year and stemmed from racial bias. The city has around 12,000 residents that is 92 percent white, 3.7 percent black, 1.4 percent Asian, 1.6 percent Hispanic or Latino and .5 percent American Indian.

Nationally, the FBI hate crime report found:

• Of the 6,624 single bias incidents, 47.3 percent were racially motivated, 20 percent were motivated by a religious bias, 19.3 percent were motivated by a sexual orientation bias, and 12.8 percent were motivated by an ethnicity/national origin bias. Bias against a disability accounted for 0.6 percent of single-bias incidents.
• There were 4,824 hate crime offenses. Intimidation accounted for 46.2 percent of these crimes, simple assaults for 34.8 percent, and aggravated assaults for 18.4 percent. In addition, seven murders were reported as hate crimes.
• There were 2,861 hate crime offenses classified as crimes against property; most of these (81.1 percent) were acts of destruction/damage/vandalism. The remaining 18.9 percent of crimes against property consisted of robbery, burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and other offenses.
• Of the 6,008 known offenders, 58.6 percent were white and 18.4 percent were black. For 12 percent, the race was unknown, and the remaining known offenders were of other races.
• The largest percentage (31.4 percent) of hate crime incidents occurred in or near homes. Another 17.0 percent took place on highways, roads, alleys, or streets; 10.9 percent happened at schools or colleges; 5.8 percent in parking lots or garages; and 3.7 percent in churches, synagogues, or temples. The location was considered other or unknown for 14.3 percent of hate crime incidents. The remaining 16.9 percent of hate crime incidents took place at other specified locations or multiple locations.

To report crimes, contact or . For more information about the Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crimes, visit http://miaahc.com.