Hate Crimes Are On The Rise

It’s the time of year when people are supposed to be joyful and happy. It is a time when many of the world’s major religions celebrate their most significant of holidays. It also seems to be a time in which hate crimes are more prevalent. Take for example the recent story about a Rabbi in Palm Beach County whose automobile was egged. The Rabbi’s car had a two foot menorah atop of it. The eggs dried overnight and cost $1200 damage to the paint. The police department classified this as a hate crime because that menorah was the only one in the area. While we at Freedland Russo certainly don’t like the fact that this Rabbi’s car was damaged, other victims of past hate crimes have fared far worse.

Many hate crimes result in the victim experiencing permanent disability or even death. Most would think that with renewed emphasis on tolerance and political correctness that the trend toward discrimination would be on the decline. That doesn’t appear to be the case. In fact statistics as recent as 2007 by the FBI report the following:

• Approximately 51 percent of the reported hate crimes were race-based, with 18.4 percent on the basis of religion, 16.6 percent on the basis of sexual orientation, and 13.2 percent on the basis of ethnicity.
• Approximately 69 percent of the reported race-based crimes were directed against blacks, 19 percent of the crimes were directed against whites, and 4.9 percent of the crimes were directed against Asians or Pacific Islanders. The number of hate crimes directed against individuals on the basis of their national origin/ethnicity increased to 1,007 in 2007 from 984 in 2006.
• For the fourth year in a row, the number of reported crimes directed against Hispanics increased — from 576 in 2006 to 595 in 2007.
• Religion-based crimes decreased, from 1,462 in 2006 to 1,400 in 2007, but the number of reported anti-Jewish crimes increased slightly, from 967 in 2006 to 969 in 2007 — 12.7 percent of all hate crimes reported in 2007 — and 69 percent of the reported hate crimes based on religion.
  (Source: http://www.civilrights.org/publications/hatecrimes/nature-and-magnitude.html)

Those numbers are staggering and that is only a partial list. Why is there so much hatred because of our differences? If we could really answer that, we would be traveling the country lecturing others on the magic formula for eliminating discrimination! While there isn’t a panacea, there are some things that may help.

There’s no doubt that discrimination is taught. It assumes things that aren’t true and creates stereotypes that are both unreal and unfair. From our perspective, there are two major steps that we can take to help curb discrimination in this country.

First, we must hold those who perpetrate hate crimes against another responsible for their actions. There needs to be serious consequences for violating the civil rights of another, civil rights that are guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States.

Second, it takes education. And that education must begin at home. We must do all that we can to teach our children that our differences are what makes us a great country. And those differences do not divide us but rather unite us. Together we can all be what we could never be separately.

It is our hope that during this time of year all of us would do our best to promote peace and harmony. That is a key responsibility that comes with the freedom that we all enjoy.