Arizona is picking up where the rest of the country is slacking off...

...unfortunately for Arizonans, this isn't a good thing...

From the Phoenix New Times -

Joe Arpaio, Russell Pearce and Jan Brewer's Arizona: Hate Crime Stats Climb

As if you need more proof that Arizona is the "state of hate," look no further than the FBI's recently released hate crime report.


From 2008 to 2009, Arizona's number of reported hate crimes increased by more than 18.3 percent. This is up over the year prior, 2007 to 2008, which saw a 14.9 percent increase in hate crimes statewide.

The numbers themselves show the creep upward. In 2007, there were 161 incidents reported in Arizona; in 2008, 185; in 2009, 219. This bucks the national trend, which shows reported hate crime incidents declining nationwide.

Most of the data is pre-SB1070, but well into the rise of nativism as a political force in Arizona. 

By contrast, Texas (just about as nutty as AZ) reported 262 hate crimes, approximately 50% more than Arizona.

Of course, Texas has a population that is more than 400% more than Arizona's.

Yippee.