Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The FBI reports that the number of hate crime incidents and victims — including businesses and other institutions as well as individuals — went down in 2009 compared to the previous year.
The bureau says that out of some 4,000 victims of racial bias, seven in 10 were victims because of prejudice against blacks.
Out of nearly 1,600 victims of anti-religious bias, about the same proportion — seven of 10 — stemmed from anti-Jewish bias.
Of more than 6,000 offenders, over six in 10 were white and nearly two in 10 were black.
The year-to-year figures are not an exact comparison. The number of law enforcement agencies providing data to the FBI on hate crime went up last year compared to 2008.