Introduction
Hate groups are heterogenous social agents exhibiting immoral acts toward certain racial and national representatives through attacks, vandalism, and murder. They frequently commit hate crimes – racially or ethnically charged incidents that increase the victim’s fear and marginalization. Although hate groups and crimes seem to be correlated concepts, highlighting the presence of biased negative attention towards specific populations, the geographic dissemination between them is under-researched. In order to address this concern, Jendryke and McClure’s research of 2019 highlights the hate crimes’ spatial dependence on hate groups regardless of their sizes.
Purpose of the Research Study and Research Question(s)
Since hate groups are diverse public members with different attitudes, tactics, and motives, this distinction enhances the need to evaluate their relation to hate crimes. That is why the research conducted by Jendryke and McClure (2019) aims to investigate the existing correlation between hate groups and hate crimes due to the Discrete Global Grid System (DGGS) and spatial analysis. Current research targets a deeper examination of the two concepts’ spatial ecology, thus evaluating regional variation patterns and violence propensities without finding a causal relationship. Its research question is: are “hate crimes co-located and correlated to the presence of hate groups?” (Jendryke & McClure, 2019, p. 1). The researchers avoid determining the causes of hate crimes causes but explore their spatial distribution concerning hate groups.
Research Methodology and Design
The authors utilize mixed methodology for comprehensive analysis, allowing them to simultaneously interpret nuanced literature and secondary numeral data. The qualitative data is taken from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) records of hate crimes’ location, description, and inclusion of hate groups. Meanwhile, the exact center provides quantitative data such as time, frequency, and deviations (Jendryke & McClure, 2019). This article’s variables revolve around two fundamental concepts. While the presence of hate groups such as Neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan is an independent variable, the number of hate crimes in the selected region is dependent. The study starts by theoretically reviewing previous research and continues by connecting the qualitative data with quantitative, drawing spatial analysis.
Sample and Sampling Technique
Since the research purely relies on the existing federal reports, it does not explicitly state the sampling method. However, it can be assumed that snowball sampling focusing on hidden hate group populations and their victims meets the desired criteria. The victims reporting to SPLC note their identity as the primary factor to include in the center’s census and the article’s data (Jendryke & McClure, 2019). During the sample preparation process, the authors excluded hate crimes associated with leafletting, rallies, and intelligence developments, leaving only 2554 cases out of 4118. Further, this sample is analyzed using DGGS and Geographically Weighted Regression models. The study comprehensively explores numeral, statistical, and spatial data obtained from SPLC.
Key Result of the Study
The research results confirm existing literature findings as it primarily justifies the non-negligible association between hate groups and hate crimes. Jendryke and McClure (2019) conclude that the presence of hate groups, especially the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazi, is the major predictor of U.S. hate crimes. Atlanta, Dallas, and New Orleans are the most exposed areas. However, densely populated regions such as San Fransico, New York, or Boston have higher reports of hate crimes without the increased spread of hate groups alone.
The findings prove the hate crime unevenness, highlighting its dominance in east regions with more scattered distribution in the west. The small sample size does not allow researchers to establish more meaningful results and generalize them. Nevertheless, the research determines that hate groups significantly predict the appearance of hate crimes geographically.
Conclusion
To conclude, hate crimes and groups are interrelated terms arising from individuals’ hostility toward nations, races, and groups. Current research finds a tight positive association between them, emphasizing that the presence of hate groups affects hate crimes in the selected area. The country’s broad territory allows hate groups and crimes to disseminate unevenly, as shown in the article’s results of hate crimes’ frequent cases in urban areas compared to the agents’ presence in rural areas. The agglomeration of the two concepts establishes a ground for future research on other hate crimes predictors.
Reference
Jendryke, M., & McClure, S. C. (2019). Mapping crime – Hate crimes and hate groups in the USA: A spatial analysis with gridded data. Applied Geography, 111(1), 1-10. Web.