S.C. lawmakers should do more than consider a hate crimes bill. They should pass it
South Carolina is preparing to vote on a hate crimes bill.
People ask, “I thought all crimes, especially those crimes of violence, are hateful acts, so why create a special category of punishments for so-called hate crimes?
They also ask what this has to do with religion?
Typically hate crimes mean added years of punishment or penalty enhancements for crimes committed against people intentionally because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and national origin.
On the federal level, hate crimes statutes enable the federal government to provide investigative support for communities prosecuting criminal acts.
In addition, if a community refuses to pursue a potential hate crime,the federal government may intervene to make sure that criminal acts are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Almost all the states have enacted some form of hate crime legislation. States without hate crimes statutes are Wyoming, South Carolina, Arkansas, North Dakota and Indiana. Isn’t it time South Carolina take its place in standing up against extremist behavior that attacks people just because of who they are?
Let’s be honest: When a hate crime is committed, the entire community is impacted. Not only is the person who has been the victim of such a crime threatened or hurt, but the entire community experiences a deep seated feeling of being abandoned by the law and law enforcement.
A hate crime bill sends a powerful message to individual victims and reinforces confidence within the community that our society and law enforcement community will prosecute and not tolerate those specific categories of crimes.
Those crimes occur with alarming frequency.
In 2018, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program of Hate Crime Statistics reported 7,036 single-bias hate crimes incidents which affected 8,646 people.
Almost 60% were criminal acts based upon race, ancestry and ancestry bias. Some 18.7% of these criminal acts were based upon religion. Sexual orientation accounted for 16.7%; gender identity 2.2%, disability 2.2% and gender 0.7%.
One can say that the laws themselves might not stop all hate crimes. But they do remind us that committing these kinds of criminal acts will have serious consequences. With state and federal authorities working together, it can make a difference in maintaining law and order for those citizens who are typically most vulnerable to those who search them out to cause havoc and chaos.
This has to stop.
Here’s what South Carolina’s Bill H 3063 offers: “A BILL TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING ARTICLE 20 TO CHAPTER 3, TITLE 16 SO AS TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR A PERSON CONVICTED OF A CRIME CONTAINED IN THIS CHAPTER WITH THE INTENT TO ASSAULT, INTIMIDATE, OR THREATEN A PERSON BECAUSE OF HIS RACE, RELIGION, COLOR, SEX, AGE, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR HOMELESSNESS; AND TO AMEND SECTIONS 16-11-510 AND 16-11-520, RELATING TO MALICIOUS INJURY TO PERSONAL AND REAL PROPERTY, SO AS TO REVISE THE PENALTIES FOR MALICIOUS INJURY TO REAL PROPERTY OFFENSES AND TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PENALTIES FOR PERSONS WHO MALICIOUSLY INJURE PERSONAL OR REAL PROPERTY OF ANOTHER PERSON WITH THE INTENT TO ASSAULT, INTIMIDATE, OR THREATEN THAT PERSON.”
Now is the time to contact our local elected state officials to urge them to vote. It is, simply, a bill for the safety and peace of our Lowcountry communities.
It is not a partisan bill. Rather, this legislation is about dignity and respect for all of the people who make up this state.
It is about a moral principle right out of the Bible: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
This is a bill that strikes at the heart of what all religions are supposed to stand up for and defend - the inherent value and worth of every human being in America.
If this is not a bill that all religions should support, then I don’t know what other way we can address this continuing and persistent problem in American society.
In the Lowcountry, an organization called the Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate is leading the way in encouraging our community to stand up for justice for all, not just for some. There is a state-wide website that explains this new bill. View it here: htttps://stampouthate.sc/ .
So when someone asks, ‘Why a hate crime bill?’ here is my answer: We can no longer turn a blind eye to the suffering of fellow Americans. We should, as Leviticus says, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Talmud says, “Whatever is hateful to you do not do to another.”
Opposing hate and advocating for love of humanity are both equally effective means to change the tone of this country and our state to be inclusive and embrace its diversity.
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 10:22 AM.