(CNN) The number of hate crimes reported in Los Angeles last year rose about 10% from 2018 -- and it was more than 40% higher than in 2016, a City Councilman says. Anti-Jewish hate crimes alone were up 60.5% over 2018 in the nation's second-largest city, and represented the largest single category in 2019 -- 69 of 322 total hate crimes reported by the Los Angeles Police Department, the data show. "We need to take these numbers seriously, because behind every one of these numbers is a religious minority, a person of color, a transgender or LGBTQ person suffering in fear," he said. "This is not what Los Angeles should be about. We should be increasing our funding and protection for vulnerable communities and be proactive about hate crime prevention."

Source: CNN January 23, 2020 18:22 UTC