Newton sees abrupt rise in hate crime
Graffito at temple is 15th case of '08, double recent tally
The number of hate crimes in Newton this year has more than doubled, compared with the previous two years, police said yesterday.
The spray-painted swastika discovered Saturday at the entrance of Temple Shalom in West Newton was the city's 15th hate crime this year, said Lieutenant Bruce Apotheker, Newton's civil rights officer and police spokesman. In 2007, there were six reported hate crimes.
Newton police classify acts of vandalism and assault as hate crimes, while cases involving verbal slurs are called hate incidents.
Between 2001 and 2005, the city saw a string of racial and homophobic vandalism. A mural at Bowen Elementary School was spray-painted with "KKK" and "white power" in 2004, which some suspected was aimed at the school's black principal. The same year, racist and homophobic literature was left on the lawns of homes in West Newton. The vandalism and graffiti continued into 2005, when there were 31 hate crimes, primarily in Newton Centre and at the city's schools, Apotheker said.
But over the last two years, the number of reported hate crimes and incidents fell. There were six hate crimes in 2007 and seven in 2006. In addition, there was one hate incident this year, two in 2007, and six in 2006.
Apotheker said he could not point to any specific reason for the increase.
"We don't see something that hasn't existed in the past," he said.
Apotheker said police work with different partners - including the Human Rights Commission, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Civil Rights Division of the attorney general's office - to address hate crimes.
"When violations like these are allowed to fester, they can grow like a cancer, bringing about fear on an unprecedented scale," Apotheker said.
Mayor David B. Cohen invited the city's residents to show their support at a community event at Temple Shalom Sunday.
"Our community is uniting with a loud and clear message that acts of hate and divisiveness such as this one will be and are condemned by all of the people of good will in Newton," Cohen said during a press conference on Monday. 