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Loading ...AG Holder urges new hate crimes law
06.17.2009 10:30am EDT
(Washington) Citing recent killings in Arkansas, Kansas and the nation’s capital, Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday said new hate crimes law were needed to stop what he called “violence masquerading as political activism.”
The attorney general’s call for Congress to act came as a civil rights coalition said there has been a surge in white supremacist activity since the election of the first African-American president and the economic downturn.“Over the last several weeks, we have witnessed brazen acts of violence committed in places that many would have considered unthinkable,” Holder told the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
He cited separate attacks over a two-week period that killed a young soldier in Little Rock, an abortion provider in Wichita and a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Federal agents and prosecutors already are involved in the local investigations of each attack.
The violence, Holder said, “reminds us of the potential threat posed by violent extremists and the tragedy that ensues when reasoned discourse is replaced by armed confrontation.”
“We will not tolerate murder, or the threat of violence, masquerading as political activism,” he said. “So let me be clear. The Justice Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect the rights ensured under our Constitution.”
Holder said that to stop such violence, Congress should pass an updated version of hate crimes legislation in order to more effectively prosecute those who commit violent attacks based on gender, disability or sexual orientation.
The growing number of hate crimes against Latinos also shows the need for tougher laws, Holder said.
In recent years Republicans, including then-President George W. Bush, have opposed Democratic efforts to expand the hate crimes law, saying it was unnecessary because current laws on the books provide for effective punishment and prosecution.
Separately Tuesday, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund issued a report saying white supremacist activity online spiked after Barack Obama’s election victory in November, and hate groups now use social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook to spread their message.
The report reviewed hate crimes over nearly two decades.
“In the nearly twenty years since the 1990 enactment of the Hate Crime Statistics Act, the number of hate crimes reported has consistently ranged around 7,500 or more annually – that’s nearly one every hour of every day,” the report said.
Hate crime statistics are compiled by the FBI.
The Southern Poverty Law Center reported in February that the number of hate groups had risen by more than 50 percent since 2000, from 602 to 926. It attributed the growth mainly to fears about nonwhite immigration, but said Obama’s election and the downward economy also were factors by early this year.
Tuesday’s report from the Leadership Conference found:
-African-Americans remain by far the most frequent victims of hate crimes. Of the 7,624 hate crime incidents reported nationwide in 2007, the most recent year available, 34 percent were perpetrated against African-Americans.
-In the five years from 2003-2007, the number of hate crimes reported against Hispanics increased nearly 40 percent, from 426 in 2003 to 595 in 2007. Of all hate crimes reported in the United States in 2007, 7.8 percent were committed against Hispanics.
-In 2007, there were 969 reported hate crimes committed against Jews, constituting 12.7 percent of all hate crimes reported and 69 percent of religious bias hate crimes reported.
-Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 2001, the number of hate crimes directed against Arab-Americans, Muslims and Sikhs escalated dramatically. In 2001, those groups were victimized in nearly 5 percent of the total number of hate crimes reported that year, 481 out of 9,730. While the number of reported hate crimes against the groups declined from the peak of 2001, it remains substantially above pre-2001 levels.
-Reported hate crimes committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation increased in 2007 to 1,265, the highest level in five years. Of all hate crimes reported in 2007, the proportion committed against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals rose to 16.6 percent, also the highest level in five years.
Sorry Mr. Holder but I didnt see any mention of violence against Gay Americans. I wish your interest in protecting Afican Americans included the daily violence that is committed against Gay Americans.
Mr. Holder is a Homophobe
Well now, here we have it, Holder advocating for an updated version of the hate crimes bill and he wants it now. Sorry Mr. Holder, the economy, health care reform take priority over that as well as our rights. He should have also weighed in on the hateful comments used to disparage our relationships issued by the DOJ this week, under HIS watch.
Great job Holder, make sure you protect the latinos, even though they are a smaller percentage of hate crimes in 2007 then LGB individuals. You couldn’t even mention us. At least Barney Frank is finally moving forward with a trans-inclusive ENDA, while the topic is hot. Let’s hope it can pass this time.
I’d settle for fewer HATE BRIEFS from the Justice Department itself!
Hate crimes against LGBT people are mentioned in the last paragraph. The percentage was 16.6 and was the highest in 5 years.
Dance, Holder, dance–seems you too are feeling a push from somewhere. Maybe it’s a push to stop alienating a core Democratic constituency. Maybe the Dems are letting him know that he and this Congress need to do something now, before it really hits donations for the midterm elections.
Alan,
The ARTICLE mentions gays, but Holder himself did not.
Quote: “Holder said that to stop such violence, Congress should pass an updated version of hate crimes legislation in order to more effectively prosecute those who commit violent attacks based on gender, disability or sexual orientation.”
I think that right there is a call for LGBT Americans to be included in hate crimes legislation…
This administration is finally realizing, “Oh shit, we’re screwed!”
How does dehumanizing gay people in a DOJ brief affect hate crimes?
Perhaps if the US Gov’t actually did not encourage HATE through policy or lack there of, there might be less HATE to go around. Let us start with Mr. Holder’s brief in support of DOMA…
A federal hate crimes law will happen when DOMA and DADT are repealed and hell freezes over.
Face it folks, the DNC are just gutless extortionists who rob us blind every single election cycle.
David Geffen must feel like an ass.
Oh my, it is straight people being killed. We need a new hate crimes bill. We must take action now. Ten years since Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence and left to die? Where is that hate crimes legislation? Oh yes. Waiting in the homophobic, democratic controlled senate for a vote. We must attach it as an amendment to another bill. We cannot pass it as a stand alone bill. Why not? After this legislation passed in the House, Obama urged a swift passage in the Senate. No more words from Obama. Harry Reid–grow a pair of balls and a spine or resign as Senate Majority Leader.
Wow. If these comments are truly representative of the views of gay people, I would love to remove myself from this “community.” The hypocrisy that has become so prevalent here is shocking, simply shocking. A whole bunch of gay people are saying, “Screw everyone else! What about US!?” Are you kidding me!? Holder is suggesting that we as a nation expand hate-crime legislation to keep us ALL safe, and all you people can say is screw that!? Because gay people weren’t at the heart of the statement or the sole group that the statement was about, you feel slighted!? This group really needs to open up its minds and hearts and realize that we’re not the only minority currently struggling for social acceptance, and that we, gay people, are all kinds, including Latinos, Jews, and Arab-Americans.
Before this argument over whether Eric Holder is or isn’t excluding LGBT people here are a few snippets from the proposed legislation that might be of value.
“(1) The incidence of violence motivated by the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim poses a serious national problem”
“A) IN GENERAL- Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, in any circumstance described in subparagraph (B) or paragraph (3), willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, a dangerous weapon, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person”
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s909/text
My beef with the proposed legislation is that despite the reference to the murder of George Tiller in the article above it doesn’t appear to cover crimes against abortion providers such as Dr. Tiller, though perhaps they would be better protected by anti-terrorist legislation similar to that passed against animal rights terrorists.