Two troubling reports surfaced this week. One was about an increase in hate crimes against Hispanics, immigrants and people perceived to be immigrants; the other was about an increase in murders of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The Washington Post reported on the first, about immigrants. Read it here.

From the Washington Post story:

U.S. civil rights leaders said yesterday that an increase in hate crimes committed in recent years against Hispanics and people perceived to be immigrants “correlates closely” to the nation’s increasingly contentious debate over immigration.

Hate crimes targeting Hispanic Americans rose 40 percent from 2003 to 2007, the most recent year for which FBI statistics are available, from 426 to 595 incidents, marking the fourth consecutive year of increases.

The Associated Press reported on the second. Read it here.

From the AP story:

The number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people killed in bias-motivated incidents increased by 28 percent in 2008 compared to a year ago, according to a national coalition of advocacy groups.

Last year’s 29 killings was the highest recorded by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs since 1999, when it documented the same number of slayings, according to a report released Tuesday by the coalition.

“What we’re also seeing, more disturbingly, is the increase in the severity of violence,” said Sharon Stapel, executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, which coordinates coalition.

Stapel theorized that at least some of last year’s violence was backlash against issues that arose during the during the presidential campaign. She cited debates about same-sex marriage, the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and federal legislation that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as possible flash points.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund issued a report that faulted anti-immigrant rhetoric in the media and mobilization of extremist groups on the Internet. The conference said that some groups advocating for tighter immigration laws have invoked “the dehumanizing, racist stereotypes and bigotry of hate groups.”

Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called on Congress to enact hate crime legislation. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met with advocacy groups to discuss expanding hate crime legislation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, Fox news reported.

After the killing of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, many pundits claimed such acts can be attributed, at least partly, to inciteful speech by radicals and right-wing personalities. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, which issued the report on the violence against immigrants and Hispanics, seemed to imply as much with the statement:

“The increase in violence against Hispanics correlates closely with the increasingly heated debate over Comprehensive Immigration Reform and an escalation in the level of anti-immigrant vitriol on radio, television, and the Internet. While reasonable people can and will disagree about the parameters of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, in some instances, the commentary about immigration reform has not been reasonable; it has been inflammatory.”

The report (read it here) said “… the spate of racially-motivated hate crimes and violence against minorities and immigrants that occurred before and after Election Day makes clear that a final victory over prejudice and racial hostility remains elusive.”

What do you think is driving the increase in this sort of violence? What can be done about it?