By Cathy Collins
For some readers, the December 10, 2024 Livingston Post article “Reports: Livingston ranks lowest for bias/hate crimes in region over past decade” generates more questions than it answers, and what exactly was its purpose? To calm fears and reassure residents that Livingston County is a safe place to live/work/play despite its sordid history of racism and the more recent demonstrations by hate groups this past year?
The 12/10 report maintained that the county has little to no bias/hate crime and calculated rates specifically for anti-black/African American bias/hate crime based on population size, vilifying several area counties in the process, particularly Washtenaw County. Did the statistics actually compare apples to apples?
A critical reader would ask, ‘but what are racial differences among the counties in question?’ An astute observer of adjoining county demographics would intuitively conclude that Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, and Genesse are significantly more racially, ethnically, and culturally heterogeneous than Livingston County and when one examines the statistics regarding race, the assumption is true.
When researching the county level non-white population percentages in the state of Michigan, Livingston County is one of the least diverse counties, 3.8% in 2023, up from 3.6% in 2020. Of the eight counties referenced in the article, Wayne county has the highest percentage of non-white at 45.3% followed by Washtenaw at 26.3%. The table below displays the differences/similarities between the eight counties under review.
That Livingston County ranks lowest in anti-black/African American bias/hate crime is not at all surprising. It’s hard to commit a hate crime against your neighbor when he looks just like you. It stands to reason that the greater the diversity, the greater the probability conflicts or altercations will occur between people in a given geographic area. Perhaps the report would have been more informative had the percentage of black/African American population been factored in when calculating rates of anti-black/African American bias/hate crime.
And why the focus on anti-black/AA hate crime when hate crime encompasses a wide range of discriminations? According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a hate crime is “a crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.” The Post article displays the rarity of such categorical incidences in its bar chart. Interestingly, the chart shows the greatest number of bias/hate crime in Livingston County is assigned the “other” category. What’s up with that? What exactly were the incidences/crimes committed in the “other” category? And were they inadvertently related to the DOJ’s definitional categories?
Demographically, Shiawassee County shares a few similarities to Livingston but is strikingly different on several other indicators, particularly with respect to resident well-being and population size (see the table below). Washtenaw is included for further evaluation.
Given Livingston County’s population profile and the benefits derived from its wealth, education, and business and industry, why does it remain so steadfastly racially homogeneous and conservative? That may be perhaps the most significant question.
Cathy Collins is a Livingston County resident.
