European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 29, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                D Magazine. Surge of hate crimes to talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey holds a microphone while a skinhead in her audience responds angrily to a guest s criticism of racism and  concern by Mitchell Landsberg associated press bombings in the South and random acts of violence and vandalism across the country have Given Rise to fears that a new wave of racially and ethnically motivated crime is sweeping the United states. Nearly every Day brings a fresh report from somewhere from Portland ore., where skinheads were charged with beating a 15-year-od hispanic girl from Wellesley mass., where two Young men were arrested for Spray painting swastikas and racist slogans on Walls from new York City where a gang of White youths was charged with killing a Black Man who crossed into their turf. New organizations have sprung up to fight racism and police judges and legislators Are taking a harder look at what they can do to prevent such crime. But among those who closely Monitor what Are commonly called Quot hate crimes Quot there is disagreement about whether racism is really resurgent some argue that Only the reporting of racial crime has increased not the crime itself. Quot the Paradox is that the better you Are at reporting the worse your picture is going to  said col Leonard Supenski. Who Heads the police crime prevention Bureau in Baltimore county my Supenski Speaks from experience his police department whose beat ranges Over 610 Square Miles from the Industrial Edge of Baltimore to horse country near the Pennsylvania Border was one of the first in the nation to begin reporting hate crimes in a category of their own. Baltimore county has kept statistics on res a racial. Religious and ethnic incidents a since 1979. And its figures show a slight increase last year after four years of decline the increase could be the result of a More sensitive police Force quicker to recognize a racist motive behind a crime it could be the result of a More trusting Public More Likely to report a crime or it could just be part of what Supenski Calls the Quot ebb and flow Quot of crime. Only a handful of cities around the nation have kept track of hate crimes for very Long one is new York City where Quot Bias crimes Quot were Down slightly during the first 10 months of 1989. They had been Down sharply until aug. 23, when a gang of Whites surrounded a 16-year-old Black youth. Yusuf Hawkins and shot him to death on a Brooklyn Street Ripples of lesser racial incidents a taunt is. Beatings a spread across the City. Inspector Paul m. Sanderson who Heads the new York police department s Bias crime unit in t persuaded that racist crime is really changing Quot there is no pattern Quot he said Sanderson 54, is Black and recalls hate crime in his youth although it was t called that. Quot i grew up Here and i know what went on in this City Quot he said. Quot and i know that if you went up to a cop and said. I was hit in the head with a baseball Bat and i got the injury because i m Black and i was in a White neighbourhood he d say get out of Here. Kid. Go on Home Quot still for every Paul Sanderson or Leonard Supenski. There Are others who say racist crime is getting worse they see Neo nazi skinheads pumping new life into the Kun flux klan. They hear about racism sprouting on College campuses and they can tick off lists of violent incidents around the country that have nothing in common but their motive a prejudice one such person is Bill Tafoya who teaches Long Range planning at the Fri Academy in Quantico a. And moonlights at the congressional Clearinghouse on the future a a sort of institutional Crystal Ball. His specially is civil disorder Tafoya has a simple test for gauging the ups and Downs of racism every year he searches a computer database for references to four words or phrases a Quot racism or  Quot bigotry Quot Quot White supremacy Quot and Quot hate  in 1980. Those words appeared 767 times in the new York times and the Washington Post. In 1988. The last full americas Watt i new year for which Tafoya has records they appeared 2.122 times a about a threefold increase Tafoya concedes that those figures alone Don t mean there has been an increase in racism a it could just be increased interest in the subject but he believes the increase is real and says other researchers agree besides police have become interested in hate crime a Tafoya knows because he s constantly asked to lecture to them Quot my warning to them is that if they turn Awa it from the Issue. Then they re going to be in a very uncomfortable position of being in the Middle when inc lid blows off he said the message is not being ignored More police departments around the nation Are beginning to follow the Lead of Baltimore county new York City and Boston a pioneers in establishing special programs to fight hate crime Minneapolis started a Bias crime program in 1987, Philadelphia. San Francisco and Portland. Ore Are among other cities that now pay special attention to hate crime most such programs have two Basic goals to keep separate reports on hate crimes so that investigators can spot patterns and to assure the Public that such crimes will not be tolerated Quot if the people Don t have a sense that they can go the police and go to the courts they re going to go to the streets Quot explained sgt. Bill Johnston who directs the Boston police department s Community disorders unit. Reporting is considered especially important. There Are no National statistics on hate crime now which is one reason that people disagree about it. A Bill pending in Congress would require the Justice department to collect such data those who follow the Issue closely such As Adele Dutton Terrell of the National Institute against prejudice and violence say passage of the hate crime statistics act is essential Quot people pay attention to hate group activity a skinheads the Kkt Quot Terrell said but when you read about crosses being burned into the Lawn of a family that just moved in. Or asians or hispanics being harassed. People assume these Are isolated cases we need the data to show that s not the Case Quot in the meantime at least 10 states have passed Laws in the past few years requiring their police departments to collect data on hate crimes and lawmakers Are finding other ways to Battle racist crime according to the anti defamation league of by Nai b no hat least 31 Stales have passed Laws making ethnic intimidation Quot or Harras Smunt a crime at least 34 states have made Quot institutional vandalism Quot a crime courts Are also looking for innovative ways to combat racism in Eugene or last year a Man convicted of racial intimidation was ordered to attend a racial awareness course in addition to serving 60 Days in jail and last july in Montgomery Ala. Seven Kun flux klan members agreed to attend a similar course As part of an out of court settlement of a evil lawsuit filed by the Southern Christian leadership conference. No one believes these measures Are going to end racial hatred or Stop racial violence. That will require More Basic social change. Some hold the economic system responsible others say the failure has been in the schools still others say any change must take place in Homes in churches or in people s hearts Quot we re doing badly in shaping people and preparing them to go out and get along in life and to exist and interact with other people in a civilized fashion,1�?T said Sanderson of the Nype Quot we re All responsible Quot the stars and stripes a a a Page 13