The fact that hate crime is deemed a major problem for a nation makes the Mathew Sheppard and James Byrd act to be implemented at all levels. This act is implemented at the local, state and federal level within a nation. This because the federal. Local, federal and state authorities join forces during investigations and prosecution of these hate crimes to protect the entire nation from violence evolving due to hate among people. Therefore, to mitigate expansion of hate crimes in the nation all authorities are given the power by Mathew Sheppard’s act to prevent hate crimes and prosecuting
We still deal with racism and hate in our country as stories about acts of hate crime
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a hate crime is a crime motivated by hostility towards a group of people. This is the kind of crime involved in the situation of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Before we look into what the crime was and how crimes like it are prevented, let’s look at who these two men were.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 1998 there were over 7,755 hate crime incidents reported in America, which stemmed from people’s biased views towards people of different races (46.9%), sexual orientations (20.8%), religions (19.8%), ethnicity and (11.6%), and people with disabilities (0.9%). All 7,755 of the crimes were more than just violence; they were violence driven by hatred. They were hate crimes. The FBI defines a hate crime as a “a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias.” This is certainly the case of the murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie Wyoming.
The U.S. later legalized it in 2009. This act augmented penalties for crimes perpetrated against one’s ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, age, disability, sexual identity, or sexual preference. Today, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act is “effectively recognizing the importance of prosecuting violence motivated by racism or other bias-related crimes” (2). The act serves as evidence of progress towards equality. The government is saying that all men are created equal and should be treated in the same manner, and if one chooses to oppose this proposition, they will encounter strict
Currently, the United State’s criterion on Speech includes, “obscenity, fraud, child pornography, harassment, incitement to illegal conduct and imminent lawless action, true threats, and commercial speech such as advertising, copyright or patent rights” (Gaudefroy 3). However, speech involving discriminatory words or racial intentions are protected by the law. To avoid instances that degrade the minority group, stricter rules need to be enforced on the delicate topic. Restrictions on hate speech should include usage of “misogynistic, homophobic, racist, and conspiracy-laden language” (Gaudefroy 3). Efforts to restrict these types of beliefs would create a more safe and equal society for all individuals.
A hate crime is defined by the LA County District Attorneys office as "A criminal act or attempted criminal act against an individual or group of individuals because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. In 2013 Brice Johnson who is 19 years of age was sentenced in federal court to 183 months of imprisonment for kidnapping a young gay man after luring him to his home and brutally assaulting him because of his sexual orientation according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Johnson admitted in his plea documents that in the early morning of September 2, 2013 he connected with the victim who was identified as A.K. They met through a dating application called
These two articles, from The Washington Post and Alaskan Dispatch News discuss hate crimes from two different perspectives. Alaskan Dispatch News takes a more conservative look at hate crime laws, as the title is “Time to Scrap Hate-Crime Laws.” The Washington Post takes an opposite stance, and is more liberal, as the title states that “…Its More Important Than Ever to Fight Hate and Bigotry.” Just the titles of these two articles alone sets the stage for the side the article will be taking. The Washington Post has a heavy focus that hate-crime laws are necessary in order to maintain equality.
According to the congress, a hate crime is a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.” (2015, January 07). Hate Crime—Overview. FBI. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov
Introduction Since the beginning of time, there have been crimes against humanity that would today be considered bias-motivated, or “hate crimes”. It was not until the 1980’s, though, that this term was coined within the United States. The Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990 defines hate crimes as, “crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, including where appropriate the crimes of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravate assault, simple assault, intimidation, arson, and destruction, damage or vandalism of property.” ( SOURCE)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines a hate crime as, "a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias. For the purposes of collecting statistics, the FBI has defined a hate crime as a "criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity." Hate itself is not a crime-and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties" (FBI). When reading this definition, it is clear to understand why so many are against hate crimes. Hate crimes are a direct stab, whether that be literally or metaphorical, at a group of human beings.
Hate crime What distinguishes a hate crime from other crimes is an underlying motivation based on the victim’s group membership. There has been much debate over the constitutionality of hate crime laws and which groups (if any) should be protected by such legislation. Those against hate crime laws argue that it is a violation of First Amendment protections of free, association, and freedom of thought. The Supreme Court confirmed that freedom of thought is implied by the First Amendment in R.A.V. v. St. Paul which those against hate crime laws argue makes such laws unconstitutional.
Today America has a system set in place that protects people from any hate crime. Hate crime is characterized as a threat or crime influenced by religion, race, or other prejudice. The United states is the most diverse country in the world. The citizen of the United states has the right to free speech without being shamed by others including the government. Hate groups target religious, race, and LGBT individuals.
Hate Crime is a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.” If an African American commits the same crime as an Caucasian it is more likely for the black person to be charged and arrested due to the racial issues we have today. There are many pros and cons towards the issue of racial crime, but hate crime is still a very difficult issue for our country to overcome. In order to overcome the issue of hate crime it would require changing legislation, public and police attitudes.
The discussion of hate crime has been very delicate over the past few months, from ISIS to police brutality. In this paper situations involving hate crime will be discussed such as the background; history of hate crime like the holocaust; special groups and genders that get “hated” on such as blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, and Jews; examples of hate crime; prominent figures like Donald Trump and his anti- Muslim and anti-immigrant policies as well as news pieces of hate crime; groups for and against other races like the black lives matter movement; statistics of hate crime and hate groups in the U.S.; the argument that
