The Extent of Hate Crimes in America Today

The Extent of Hate Crimes in America Today

Cher once said that "hate crimes are the scariest thing in the world because these people really believe what they are doing is right". She was right those that commit hate crimes do it because it something that they believe in and possibly have their whole life. Even with laws protecting innocent minorities against hate crimes there is still lasting effects not only on the victim but also the community as well. It takes more than one person to have a hold on hate crimes and there effects, it takes society as a whole.

Hate crimes are "crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race,

religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity". In other words a hate crime is a criminal act where the victim was targeted because of their race, religion or sexual orientation. The FBI stated that the word "hate crime" did not come to surface until, when hate groups such as Skinheads launched a wave of bias-related crime. The FBI also stated the investigation of hate crimes has been conducted since World War 1, when the Ku Klux Klan first made themselves known. Acts such as assault, injuries, or murder on the basis of personal characteristics; different color, nationality, language, religion, or appearance can be put into the category of hate crimes, otherwise known as bias-motivated crimes. Physical assault, property damage, harassment, insults, bullying, and verbal abuse also can be considered as hate crimes. None the less criminal acts motivated by biased against one or more of the types above are considered as hate crimes. People commit hate crimes to send a message of intimidation to certain groups based on their orientation.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics', race is the most common motivation factor in hate crime offending reported (61%), followed by religion (14%), sexual orientation (13%), ethnicity (11%), and victim disability (1%).(nij.gov 2001) In racially motivated offenses, 60% targeted Blacks and 30% targeted Whites. (Strom K.J., 1997-99) Those that commit hate crimes due so to send a message to certain groups based on their orientation. Perpetrators of hate crimes go through with these acts because of personal prejudice and sees "different" people as threatening. Extreme hate crimes tend to be committed by those with a history of deep prejudice. Studies show those that commit crime with intent of hate, have a childhood history of abuse and violence to solve family problems. On the other hand offenders of hate crimes are not always mentally ill in the traditional sense, such as manic depressive. Perpetrators act in negative ways due to intimidation from groups that they do not know much about. The less the perpetrator knows about a group the stronger the prejudice is. Some with commit crimes with "peers" as a thrill, some while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, some a reaction against a perceived threat or to claim their territory, and some out of resentment toward a particular group based on orientation. None the less offenders may not be clinically diagnosed with a mental condition but they all share a high level of aggression and antisocial behavior.

The statistics show hate crimes are part of everyday America, the FBI stated that "nearly one every hour of every day is reported". In 2010 the FBI reported that there were 6,628 hate crimes reported 6,624 were single biased and 8298 victims of hate-crimes. The motivation of single biased hate-crimes is presented in the chart below:

There were 4,824 offenses against property and 81% acts of destruction/damage and vandalism, of the 6,008 offenders 58.6% where White and 18.4 were Black. The agencies reporting these crimes represented 92.3% of the nation's population. (FBI, 2011) According to Eric Thomas civil rights chief in Washington D.C., "almost fourth of the 2010 civil rights caseload involved crimes motivated by a particular bias against the victim". That goes to show that there is still an increase of hate crimes in the United States. (Thomas, Eric 2011)

While some victims do not report crimes others do, and some examples of these crimes are listed in the following paragraph. These examples are not limited to the number of real life hate crimes, and goes to show how much of a problem hate crimes are in America.

* A 15 year old boy comes clean about his sexuality and is shot to death. The 8th grade boy was shot in the computer lab in his junior high school. The victim has been harassed and bullied because of what he chose to wear; make-up, jewelry, and high heeled boots, including the 14 year old charged in his death. Executive Director of Transgender Law, Masen Davis said "Brandon (the shooter) is just as much a victim as Lawrence (the victim); he's a victim of homophobia and hate". (Calheart, 2008)

* On election night 2008, Ralph Nicoletti 18, Michael Contreras, 18 and brain Carranza, 21 of Staten Area, New York, decided after election victory of Barack Obama to "find African-Americans to assault". The men drove to a prominently African-American neighborhood and came upon a 17 year old African American walking home. One of the offenders yelled "Obama" and then proceeded to beat the victim with a metal pipe and collapsible police baton, causing injury to his legs and heads.

* According to the Chicago Tribune, December 23, three teens attacked a 17-year-old African American boy because of an alleged relationship with a white girl The victim went to the home of one of the accused. The offenders placed a noose around the neck of the victim while using the N-word and refusing to allow him to leave, eventually the victim did escape.

With those three examples it goes to show that incidents are not limited and range from assault to murder. The main intent from all hate crime including those listed is to get a message across that the offenders don't like what that person represents. In 1997, the federal government documented 9,861 hate crimes based on the victim's religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. More than half of those crimes were motivated