Is There Such Thing As A Hate Crime

Many time people will say that all murders or assaults are the same whatever the motivation or that hate crimes give special rights to the victim.

But motive makes a difference, in murders was have a number of different levels depending upon the motive. If it was accidental or premeditative are seen as to different type of murder. A hate crime is different from a simple assault or murder because of motive and the effect it has on the target community. Take a look at the stabbing in Washington DC,  a 15 year old youth was stabbed on the Metro…

Transgender teen stabbed in possible hate crime on Metro train
Washington Post
By Paul Duggan and Julie Zauzmer
July 30, 2014

A 15-year-old Metro passenger suffered a minor stab wound on a Green Line train Wednesday afternoon, and the alleged assailant was arrested shortly afterward in the Fort Totten station in Northeast Washington, a transit authority spokeswoman said.

Metro Transit Police said the assailant may face stiffer penalties for a bias-motivated attack, since the victim is transgender and the attacker reportedly made comments about her gender identity immediately prior to the stabbing.

Hate crimes are hard to prove because you have to show that motive behind the crime, in this case the assailant made it easy by his comments, but most times it is hard to prove,

Another facet of a hate crime is what it does to the target community. An article in The Guardian addresses the fear that can swept a community,

“It’s scary trusting anyone,” said LaSia Wade, 27. “That bus driver, he could be the killer; that taxi man, he could be looking at me and thinking: ‘That’s a transgender woman, I’m going to knock her off.’”

Jean Rollings said she was shocked when the news broke of the Henderson murder. “I thought, damn! Someone is targeting transgenders. I’m 48 years old, I don’t want to be a headline in the newspapers.”

The reverberations are more keenly felt because for many the fear of violence is already present in their daily lives. Studies suggest that throughout the country trans women bear the brunt of anti-LGBT violence – African American trans women in particular.

Hate crime make you fear going out, it makes you always looking over your shoulder, it terrorizes a community. That is what there are hate crime laws because it is far different from a mugging or a murder, it not only effect those around the victim but also a community.