Quote:
Originally Posted by mimimomx3
Question: aren't all violent crimes "hate" crimes? Are there actually any "love" crimes? I find the idea that crime against particular classes are worse than those against other groups. If a straight woman is killed, that's murder. If a gay woman is killed, that's a "hate" crime. Both are humans. Both are dead. The gay woman's life is worth more than the straight woman's life.
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Not true.
If some brutal mysoginist started killing female joggers because he felt they dressed inappropriately, they'd face a gender bias hate crime.
If another guy just shoots the gay woman in a robbery, he would not face either a gender or sexual orientation bias hate crime....just murder.
The difference is that in the first example the offender is trying to terrorize, intimidate or oppress a larger group of people beyond the victim. Thus additional charges are warranted.
Think about burning a cross in the yard of a black family that just moved in. What do you do? Charge the offenders with "littering" or maybe misdemeanor tresspassing? Nope. The offenders are intimating impending violence against the family and making them fear for their lives as well as other people in the community. The crime impacts more people than just the yard where the cross was burned.
I would urge you to take a look at the FBI crime stats and see whom is commiting and whom are the victims of the various crimes. For example, it might shock you to find out that one of the highest rates of hate crime is black male vs. homosexual.
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