Thread: SPLC Manipulates Crime Data to try and stop immigration deba

The Southern Poverty Law Center Manipulates Crime Data and Terminology in Last-Ditch Attempt to Stop the Immigration Debate

March 10, 2008

(Washington DC) Today the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) issued a misleading release announcing a significant increase in the number of hate groups and hate crimes over the last few years. The release then suggests that our national debate over immigration reform has fueled the increase in both. Offering no criteria as to what constitutes a hate group, manipulating the data for self-serving purposes, and then making broad, unsubstantiated conclusions, this latest release from the SPLC constitutes one of its most reckless charges to date. It is calculated to be inflammatory, tarnish the reputation of leading immigration reform groups, and shut down meaningful public policy debate about immigration reform.

When examined responsibly, the FBI hate crime data show a dramatically different story than the one the SPLC portrays. First, in order to suggest an artificially large increase in the raw number of hate crimes, the SPLC selects 2003 as its base year, one of lowest years on record for hate crimes against Hispanics. If one compares the number of hate crimes between 1995 (the earliest report available on the FBI's website) and 2006 (the most recent statistical year available), one would see that the number of hate crimes has increased only 17 percent.

But even this is not the whole story. The SPLC conveniently forgets to index the raw hate crime data with the population, a step always taken by the FBI to more accurately depict an increase or decrease in crime. Thus, when one indexes a 17 percent increase in hate crimes against Hispanics with a 67 percent increase in the Hispanic population between 1995 and 2006, it becomes clear that the rate of hate crimes against Hispanics has in fact dropped dramatically - by about 40 percent.

This reduction in the rate of hate crimes against Hispanics is even more apparent when one considers that the number of law enforcement agencies that participate in the FBI's hate crime data collection program increased 33 percent between 1995 and 2006. Between 2003 and 2006 alone, the number of law enforcement agencies participating in the FBI's hate crime data collection program increased by over 700.

Finally, the SPLC claims that there has been substantial growth in the number of "hate groups" since 2000. However, the SPLC provides no definition of a "hate group" and offers no objective criteria that it uses to classify organizations as such. The SPLC appears to think that it can stick this label onto any organization it wishes, including long-standing, highly-regarded immigration reform organizations such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) without being challenged as to its motivations or methodology. FAIR is confident the media and the American people will see through the SPLC's deceitful tactics.

"There is no level of hate crime that is acceptable -- period," says Dan Stein, President of FAIR. "However, the SPLC's calculated abuse of the term 'hate group' and manipulation of hate crime data for self-serving political interests is an affront to hate crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. The SPLC manipulates data to reach deceitful conclusions, tosses the term 'hate group' at highly-respected organizations like FAIR, and then mixes the two in an attempt to stop our national debate over immigration reform. But this is consistent with the SPLC's growing practice of making allegations with no factual basis, no criteria and sadly, no one challenging their increasing habit of playing fast and loose with the facts. Unfortunately, it is the American people who suffer most through this irresponsible behavior."
ABOUT FAIR

Headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., FAIR is the largest, oldest and most respected immigration reform group in America. With over 250,000 members, FAIR advocates for non-discriminatory immigration polices that protect American jobs, wages, the environment, and national security. As a bipartisan organization free from special interest influence, FAIR is regularly sought by Congress and the media for its objective analysis and for its fair, practical and effective policy solutions.

added to homepage with note

ALIPAC NOTE: Please distribute this release from FAIR to your contacts in the media and public.

http://www.alipac.us/article3023.html

How sloppy and recklessly irresponsible of the SPLC. If this is what passes for their "research," their credibility is in question. One hopes that the MSM doesn't distribute this without critical examination or explanation.

I just know on other sites....ANY crime against a hispanic is a hate crime. Period. Find 2 hispanics dead in an apartment and the neighbors say they were nice guys....hate crime. Gang related crime? Hate crime. Routien traffic stops.....targeting latinos. No match SS#'s and it's hate towards hispanics. Bar brawl....hate crime. It's like it HAS to be....can't be anything but. They don't even seperate it between crimes done by hispanics to hispanics....like the gang stuff done to a hispanics home by a latin gang. Hey....if any crime is a hate crime I'm sure the numbers favor them. Unfortunatly there's a difference between a crime and a hate crime.

They simply deny all the violent crimes occurring by Hispanics against Blacks in Los Angelese and California by Latino gangs versus ANY black Americans in their turf. According to SPLC and La RAZA these aren't "hate crimes" only if the victims are LATINO. Shameful.

They simply deny all the violent crimes occurring by Hispanics against Blacks in Los Angelese and California by Latino gangs versus ANY black Americans in their turf. According to SPLC and La RAZA these aren't "hate crimes" only if the victims are LATINO. Shameful.

SPL is not absent of malice in their publications.

They've run out of racist to justify their existence, so now they are vilifying Americans. Remind you of the McCarthy era or the Salem witch trials? It should.

Dixie

Even if one were to accept the SPLC premise that there has been an increase in "hate crimes" (whatever that may mean), the SPLC still ignores the most basic principle of scientific research, namely: Correlation does not mean causation. Granted that there may well have been an increase in internet and media appearance activities by organizations such as FAIR, ALIPAC, etc. and, again, assuming that there has been an increase in hate crime incidents; there is not a shred of evidence that the former is a cause of the latter. It is likely that there is a third factor (such as a significant increase in illegal immigration and/or an increase in community crime due to illegal immigration) causing both. Or, there could be unrelated causes of each. In fact, one could argue, perhaps more rationally, that the activities of FAIR, ALIPAC, etc. reduce hate crimes because those who would be inclined to commit such acts might then realize that there may be peaceful political and lawful solutions and therefore be less likely to take matters into their own hands. Also, consider that the Minutemen, for example, have a strict no contact policy (except for emergency aid) with illegal aliens and that too would serve as an example and incentive to do things legally -- not to engage in random anger-motivated type activities. If there really is unwarranted "hate" and the SPLC is really concerned about it, then the more reasonable antidote would be education rather than creating more hate via accusations, lies, and intimidation.

It makes no more sense to conclude that FAIR in promoting lower immigration numbers advocates or instigates unlawful attacks on immigrants than to conclude that women practicing birth control advocate and instigate day-care center bombings. I can see where the reporting of certain incidents such as the desecration of an American flag by an illegal alien could create negative sentiment. But, the blame for that sentiment should fall on those who commit the act -- not those who report it. It would seem that the SPLC and La Raza are more about suppressing truth and knowledge than about suppressing crime. Even if there is some very remote chance that knowledge will result in some self-motivated act, I don't think we as Americans in general can or should give up our liberty of having a free press, and free speech, and the right to assemble in order to give absolute security to those who might commit arguably despicable acts against us (or for even the purely innocent) -- in the end we will neither have nor deserve liberty nor security for anybody. The SPLC hasn't the foggiest notion of what America is about. And, as I've written before, the SPLC operates more as a mind control cult than as a legitimate research and advocacy organization -- and they continue to prove me correct.

And, incidentally, the only person that I've ever seen on a TV news program telling lies about and demonizing another group was the La Raza person on Lou Dobbs saying that the Minutemen are vigilantes (because they don't attempt to apprehend, determine guilt, or punish that is a lie) and then saying that the Minutemen hunt "undocumented" immigrants with guns (they don't so that is demonizing). The SPLC doesn't see the "hate" in groups that it is aligned with.

i wonder how they get their stats.

have you noticed that if its a white person killing a black its a race crime.
but if a black kills anyone its not.
and apparently if a gang members who is latino in southern California,
its not a hate crime according to the LA MAyor and police chief

The SPLC doesn’t mention a common tactic performed by illegal aliens. Illegals will actually taunt Americans, and try to provoke them into making some kind of angry reaction. They actually welcome the mistreatment, hoping for a juicy lawsuit, making it easier for them to claim supposed racism, and hoping to promote their case for Amnesty inside the US.

An example of this is the MacArthur Park Mayday Melee incident, from May 2007. A select group of demonstrators intentionally provoked police into taking aggressive action, as the police attempted to clear out the park before potential riots started. The LAPD’s aggressive actions gave the illusion that they had racist tendencies toward the demonstrators, who were mostly Hispanic. But the police were simply doing their jobs, and had a long range vision of public safety.

Another example is the increased rock-throwing at Border Patrol Agents from Mexican Nationals across the Southern border. Every time the BP officers defend themselves by reacting with some kind of force, certain groups try to “spinâ€