Tamara Leach
Russell
Persuasive Essay
Since the disgusting murders of James Bryd and Matthew Shephard, hate crime
legislation has been debated continuously. The current Hate Crimes Bill would in effect
lengthen the sentence of anyone found guilty of committing a hate crime. The problem
with the bill is that it doesn’t change the environment in which hate crimes occur, it
lengthens prison sentences.
Proponents of the Hate Crime Bill argue that it would enable our current
authorities to keep better track of “hate-groups,” such as the Aryan Brotherhood, compile
better statistics on hate crimes and allow police to better punish hate crime perpetrators.
In the first two cases the Federal government already keeps close tabs on all hate groups
and has been compiling statistics since 1991. As for our police force being able to better
punish offenders, the police often commit these crimes themselves.
“Verbal harassment and abuse by police officers increased by 155 percent from 1997 to
1998, and reports of physical abuse by police grew by more than 866 percent.” (Kim
1999)
Somehow it’s hard to believe that a hate crime bill is going to change the bigoted
thinking of the entire U.S. police force.
A better solution to the prevalent problem of violence in our society is to change the
thinking of people. Throughout the country local antiviolence groups attempt on very
little funding to organize communities and education-outreach programs. While there is
no proof that the Hate Crime bill would put a stop to hate crimes, antiviolence groups
have shown that they in fact help. Without these groups there would be very little
evidence or statistics of police violence to name one thing.
Finally, the Hate Crime Bill is a useless piece of legislation that allows politicians to
appear to be doing something without actually doing it. Yes, hate crimes are a terrible
thing but there is no force on this planet short of God that will ever stop people from
hating. What can be done instead is to create stronger community ties and create a safer
place for everyone in society.
Bibliography:
Kim, Richard. “The Truth About Hate Crimes Laws.”
The Nation 12 July 1999 v269 i2 p20
Roig-Franzia, Manuel. “Dip in Hate Crime Data Fails to Calm Anxieties.” The
Washington Post, 13 September 2001 pT03
Spong, Jason. “The Hate Debate. Hate Crime Laws and Politics.”
Texas Monthly April 2001 v29 i4 p64