ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Confronting Affronts to Equality

Three reports of hate crimes in Orange County in the past several days sounded a disturbing note before Independence Day. The emphasis in the Declaration of Independence on equality and unalienable rights, especially to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” comes to mind. Fear and prejudice may never be rubbed out, but they must be confronted if American society is to be stronger.

The most disturbing incident involved a black 12-year-old who was assaulted this week as he walked to a store for an ice cream with several friends, including two white girls.

Witnesses reported that a man driving by yelled racial epithets at the boy, jumped from his car and roughed him up. A suspect has been arrested.

On the same day, a black man waiting for a ride at John Wayne Airport was assaulted by a man shouting racial epithets. Also, as reported by police Wednesday, the word Jew was written in shaving cream on the front lawn of a Jewish man’s house in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

To its credit, the Sheriff’s Department has acted quickly to make arrests. Criticized in the past by civil rights groups, it set up a new system for handling hate-crime investigations.

The Orange County Human Relations Commission staff says that 21 hate crimes were reported in the first two months of 1991--more than for the entire previous year. About half involved victims who had an Arab appearance, seemingly a reaction to the Persian Gulf War.

And the commission estimates actual incidents to be about 10 times the number reported.

Battling intolerance is the job of everyone, particularly churches, schools, civic organizations. It’s also the responsibility of friends and neighbors. All can provide occasions for people of varying backgrounds to get to know one another.

Hate crimes damage not only individuals; they affect all of us who care about freedom.