Hate crimes, since they are perpetrated against an anonymous representative of a specific group, are not only a crime against that individual but against that whole group, since the crimes are intended to intimidate and thus restrict the freedom of all members of that group.
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Letter to Mountain Democrat: Hate Crimes Misunderstood
The Mountain Democrat's editorial of August 9, 2000, which claims that hate crime laws make some "more equal" than others, concerned me. This is not the nature or intent of hate crime law.
Hate crimes, since they are perpetrated against an anonymous representative of a specific group, are not only a crime against that individual but against that whole group, since the crimes are intended to intimidate and thus restrict the freedom of all members of that group. When someone burns a cross (as occurred in 1996 in Placerville, on Martin Luther King Day), simply charging the perpetrators with arson and property damage would ignore the message of fear that the act was meant to send. This would allow bigotry to go unchallenged, making citizens afraid to leave their homes, thus depriving them of their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The editorial charges that criminals "should be prosecuted for what they do, not what they think", but the truth is that our courts routinely judge the accused on intent and degree of malice. In a murder trial, for instance, the jury must judge--based on evidence such as what was said, etc., before or during the act--whether someone is guilty in the second degree or if the murder was planned in advance. Assaults, threats, or property damage that target specific groups can have their charges of assault, etc., enhanced with a hate crime charge, which can turn a misdemeanor into a felony.
While the editorial made no overtures in this direction, what often goes unsaid is that some oppose hate crime law because they perceive it to be punitive toward whites. We most often hear about whites attacking minorities, or people claiming to be Christians attacking Jews. But hate crime law protects all of our civil liberties. Among race-related hate crimes, the California Department of Justice reports that 10.8% were reported to be anti-white in 1999.
Hate crimes are a reality. El Dorado County, like many counties, has its share. Placerville Police Sergeant Walters, at a community forum on gang activity last year, noted that the vast majority of gangs in our county are white supremecist gangs. To become members, they are sometimes encouraged to find and assault a minority. (Three white youth assaulted a black man outside Blockbuster Video in Placerville at 10 pm on a Thursday night in January 2000, leaving him severely hurt and laying unconscious in the parking lot for up to an hour. No witnesses have come forward.)
However, most hate crimes are committed by "regular" citizens, unaffiliated with any organization--mostly youth. Hate crimes are a community problem. We need to bring our children back into the community family. Support the El Dorado Youth Alliance (642-5210), the Boys and Girls Club (295-8019), and the Human Rights Round Table of El Dorado County. Support your local school in bringing diversity education to class, to make every child feel safe and thus able to learn. Promote activities like the diversity mural at Markham school. Like Ponderosa and El Dorado German Club students donating their Oktoberfest proceeds to diversity education. Like the El Dorado County HS District sending teachers to the Museum of Tolerance in L.A. to learn about teaching diversity in class. Like signing a community petition that was approved by the Board of Supervisors this year, declaring our county a Hate-Free Zone.
Our county remains almost 90% white (CA Rural Demographics 1996) perhaps because it is not perceived to be safe for minorities. Victims of hate crimes in the past 4 years have overwhelmingly left the county within a few months of the attack. Recently a black family in El Dorado Hills had a racial threat left on their mailbox. A gay youth walking down Main Street was beaten up. Minority visitors to our county, such as government workers, have found Main Street to feel "unsafe," because they have been stared at, called epithets, and told to go home. This not only isn't good for business, it doesn't reflect what the majority of our county really is: a community of good neighbors.
We need to show that we are the good neighbors we are. We can join the Human Rights Round Table of El Dorado County and find out how to help (write PO Box 929, Placerville 95667, or email
roundtable.mbh@sbcglobal.net). We can support victims of hate crimes and prevent hate crime through education. We can ask our employers for diversity education. Ask our pastors to speak about all god's children in a service, or organize an outreach group within our churches. Report hate graffiti to the Sheriff or Police.
This is something that we all can do, together. Because El Dorado County is Too Great for Hate.
Mandy Bryant, Board Delegate, Hate Crimes Task Force, Human Rights Round Table of El Dorado County
