Define Hate Crimes For What They Are
We must define hate crimes for what they are, because only after defining the problem can we tackle it.
Problem
With a recent surge of hate crimes committed towards minority communities, the validity of the Stop AAPI Hate movement has been debated. Often, this debate lies in whether or not the crimes committed were out of racial intolerance or if they were a traditional offense.
Our Plan
Expand hate crime statutes to include crimes committed on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability, and ensure all statutes are recognized in every state.
Enforce penalty enhancement laws for hate crimes, and ensure all hate crimes lead to a Civil Rights Injunction that orders protection for the victim and prohibits the perpetrator from further engaging in threats, intimidation or coercion.
Create a community-based reported system modeled after the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program that empowers survivors and community members to report hate crimes, monitor statistics, and request legal and law enforcement support.
Promote third-party policing as an alternative solution by incentivizing public housing agencies, property owners, parents, and health and building inspectors to take responsibility in preventing crime.
Build community websites for the public to access the status, findings, and outcomes of investigations to ensure transparency and grow community trust.
Conduct periodic hate crime victimization surveys that examine the victim’s perception of bias behind crime to monitor underreporting by victims and under-recording by police.
Require all law enforcement officers and units to undergo survivor-centered training that reinforces survivor’s right to informed decisions, agency, non-discrimination, and privacy and confidentiality.
Mandate that law enforcement carry out victim-centered investigations by supporting them in their role as witnesses, notifying victims of their rights, directing them to the social services they need, and ensuring they actually receive these services.
This Matters
The issue of defining hate crimes as opposed to traditional crimes is not confined to the Stop AAPI Hate movement. Hate crimes are motivated by prejudice against other races, sexual orientations, gender identities, socio-economic statuses, and these biases extend to other social issues like the BLM movement. Holding perpetrators accountable for the nature of the crimes they commit is a crucial step to ending prejudice.