Hate Crimes Bill Introduced in the House

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Foxrac

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Civil rights groups are lauding the introduction of a hate crimes bill in the House of Representatives on March 20 that will expand the definition of hate crimes and provide federal support for state and local law enforcement in their prosecution of bias-related violent crime.

"This bill would give law enforcement important tools to combat bias-motivated crime. Federal support will help to ensure that these hate crimes are investigated and prosecuted," said ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act (LLEHCPA) has been approved separately in the House and the Senate by bipartisan majorities on a number of occasions since 2000, but final passage has been blocked by the House Republican leadership.

"Each year, thousands of Americans are violently attacked just because they are black, female, Christian or gay. These crimes not only harm individuals, but they terrorize entire communities. It's the responsibility of our government to protect all Americans. After more than a decade of delay, it's time for Congress to provide local police and sheriffs' departments with the tools and resources they need to put away society’s most vicious criminals," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

Recent data shows that hate violence continues to be a problem in the U.S. Recent FBI statistics for 2005 showed a slight decline in hate crimes (about 7,163 down from 7,649 in 2004.), but major cities like New York City, Phoenix and states like Alabama and Mississippi did not report.

Civil rights groups called the 2005 statistics "incomplete" and "a setback to the progress the Bureau has made in the [hate crimes] program."

The LLEHCPA will broaden the definition of hate crimes to include gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, gender, and disability. It also makes grants available to state and local communities to combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers, or to assist in state and local investigations and prosecutions of bias motivated crimes.

"We urge Congress to promptly enact this essential legislation, which would strengthen federal hate crime laws by authorizing the Justice Department to assist local authorities in investigating and prosecuting bias-motivated crimes," said Foxman.

The bill is expected to go to the House floor for a vote some time in April with Senate action to follow.

Hate Crimes Bill Introduced in the House
 
Yup!!! I want this law to pass, that will pass without doubt because numerous of organizations are support them too... I'm excited about more protection are coming over USA. :)
 
Excuse me, but white males can be victims of hate crimes too. When will white males get their "hate" protected status?

Crimes that are "bias" motivated should be prosecuted the same as all crimes. Who cares what your motivation was? You broke the law, suffer the consequences. Proving I did something because you're hispanic and I'm a female who hates hispanics (just to throw out an extreme made up example) doesn't mean anything more than I did it because I wanted the money in your pocket.
 
Totally unnecessary legislation. We already have plenty of laws against violent crimes. We just need to enforce the laws we have.

I suppose if this passes it will provide job security for a whole new batch of specialized lawyers. :roll:
 
Whatever happen to separation of government and the church. It is very unconstitutional to tell the church what they can say and not to say about God.

I don't mind if a law on harrassing or physically abuse homosexuals , but still, they have no rights to tell us what to preach in church.

If this law pass, then we can't speak against child molesters either. Well, they are gaining more rights everyday anyways (less probation time, more freedom to live wherever they want to go, etc.)
 
Yeah, this is too much.

People just don't have any common sense. :roll:
 
Dennis said:
Excuse me, but white males can be victims of hate crimes too. When will white males get their "hate" protected status?

Crimes that are "bias" motivated should be prosecuted the same as all crimes. Who cares what your motivation was? You broke the law, suffer the consequences. Proving I did something because you're hispanic and I'm a female who hates hispanics (just to throw out an extreme made up example) doesn't mean anything more than I did it because I wanted the money in your pocket.
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Yup, it does applied for all races...

If you are hispanic man and attack or speak against on female then that's not possible but depends on many of types that you made mistake.
 
Reba said:
Totally unnecessary legislation. We already have plenty of laws against violent crimes. We just need to enforce the laws we have.

I suppose if this passes it will provide job security for a whole new batch of specialized lawyers. :roll:
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Hate crime isn't always as same as violent crime at most but hate crime is other for people that who attack, hate speech, vandalism or argue on other people who is Black, White, Latino, Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, Christian, Jewish, Agnostic, Muslim, Asian, Deaf and more thing in race, religion, handicap, sex orientation, gender. If this law is passed then would not allow to make against on people on public area and other thing like that or would charge in hate crime.

How you feel if you get attack by 2 Muslim men because you are Christian, that's part of hate crime and they will get harasher punishment, such as being fair with other crime. If 3 men who killed gay man for being gay then their punishment can be sentence into death row, such as lethal injection in most states or even struck in prison for life instead of 10 years in prison. That's what means about get fair with other people.
 
nightcrickets said:
Whatever happen to separation of government and the church. It is very unconstitutional to tell the church what they can say and not to say about God.

I don't mind if a law on harrassing or physically abuse homosexuals , but still, they have no rights to tell us what to preach in church.

If this law pass, then we can't speak against child molesters either. Well, they are gaining more rights everyday anyways (less probation time, more freedom to live wherever they want to go, etc.)
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Oh well, Child molesters aren't protect under hate crime since they are lawful, even bigger wrong.

This new law will ban on any people who make attack, hate speech or argue against on homosexual, such as co-workers or students cannot bash on them but don't know about law would applied for children (under 18 years old) to stop to bash on other children who is homosexual. It's even more protected and make more fair to do that.

I support on separate of government and religion but churches are allowed to call "God" based on their religion, such as practice as religion but does nothing to be lawful on hate crime. I'm sure that churches would not allow to speak against on homosexual or they will lose their benefit (such as from tax exempt). People who call "God" isn't against on hate crime since it was practice on their religion.
 
VamPyroX said:
Yeah, this is too much.

People just don't have any common sense. :roll:
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Huh? It's not too much for us, even don't speak against on human rights or civil rights, that simple.

I bet that you never understand about this new law, though.
 
Pacman said:
...How you feel if you get attack by 2 Muslim men because you are Christian...
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If ANY one physically attacks me, I expect them to be arrested and charged with assault and battery. It doesn't matter what race or religion they are. I don't care if my attacker loves or hates me. I want justice, period.

...If 3 men who killed gay man for being gay then their punishment can be sentence into death row...
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If three men kill anyone, gay or straight, they should get the death penalty. Why should they get the death penalty only if the victim is gay? Isn't a straight victim valuable?

It doesn't make any sense.
 
Reba said:
If ANY one physically attacks me, I expect them to be arrested and charged with assault and battery. It doesn't matter what race or religion they are. I don't care if my attacker loves or hates me. I want justice, period.


If three men kill anyone, gay or straight, they should get the death penalty. Why should they get the death penalty only if the victim is gay? Isn't a straight victim valuable?

It doesn't make any sense.
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It does happened in Texas but 3 men who killed one gay man aren't sentence into death row but only sentenced into prison but not know about how long to struck in prison, can be under 30 years or so... That's not fair to me...
 
Pacman said:
It does happened in Texas but 3 men who killed one gay man aren't sentence into death row but only sentenced into prison but not know about how long to struck in prison, can be under 30 years or so... That's not fair to me...
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If the three guys killed a straight man would that be a fair sentence?
 
Pacman said:
Oh well, Child molesters aren't protect under hate crime since they are lawful, even bigger wrong.
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Uhh, molesting is lawful? :roll:

This new law will ban on any people who make attack, hate speech or argue against on homosexual, such as co-workers or students cannot bash on them but don't know about law would applied for children (under 18 years old) to stop to bash on other children who is homosexual. It's even more protected and make more fair to do that.
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Uhh, ban people? What, from the United States? :lol:
 
Yiffzer said:
Uhh, molesting is lawful? :roll:



Uhh, ban people? What, from the United States? :lol:
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I means that illegal on child molesting...

No, I have enough with explain about everything, would not do again.
 
Well, the laws is overwhelming. But as violent crimes, that should be a crime. And threaten remarks and etc, it should be already taking care of instead of using as a hate crime. If anyone been murder, should be charge for murder, but adding more and more and more of "legal issues", is ridiculous. Just simple thing, as long they do physical harm should be as assault and battery no matter what, as a hate crime will go along with that category, not adding to it. If taken someone's life, will be a murder, no matter what, not adding to it. Motives is involve, not separately.
 
Here's the problem, as I see it...

What is happening here is punishing not just the acts which are wrong, but the emotions behind the acts. The law is saying: these are bad reasons to commit these immoral acts. Does that mean there are GOOD reasons to commit immoral acts? I don't like the message that sends. As well, why should the government be deciding which feelings are wrong and right, and which emotions are hateful or not? Do we really want the government deciding such subjective things?

And do I really care what was in your heart or what emotion you felt when you killed me? I'm just as dead, either way.

Punish people for their acts. Not their emotions. Otherwise, how soon before we decide to punish people JUST for their emotions, no matter whether they act on them?
 
I think it is a good start, because as long as there is a strong amount of hate and prejudice motivating violence, we will always need laws like this kind.

From that posted HRC link:
A random act of violence resulting in injury or even death is a tragic event that devastates the lives of the victim and their family, but the intentional selection and beating or murder of an individual because of who they are terrorizes an entire community and sometimes the nation. For example, a 2006 Harris Interactive poll found that 64 percent of gays and lesbians are concerned about being the victim of a bias-motivated crime.
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If 80% of violent crimes nationally were because of a bias against deaf people or ASL interpreters, wouldn't you want laws to officially announce that it is NOT acceptable to assault or kill you?

Weren't we against terrorism in USA? ;)
 
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