DC Takes Aim at Hate

As evidence of hate resurfaced in the district, members of the Council of the District of Columbia were hard at work on a resolution to combat crimes of hate.
DC Takes Aim at Hate
7/25/2008
Updated:
7/26/2008
As evidence of hate resurfaced in the district, members of the Council of the District of Columbia were hard at work on a resolution to combat crimes of hate. On July 22, DC Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray said that the council adopted a new resolution because of both a “resurgence of examples of hate crimes” and a “need to reaffirm DC’s “intolerance for hate crimes and tolerance for diversity.”

The Hate Crimes resolution was adopted in early June. This latest resolution is the second such resolution for the district.

The Bias-Related Crimes Act was adopted by the district in 1989. It was one of our nation’s most far-reaching hate crime laws. It established penalties and prison terms for those convicted of a hate crime that are 1.5 times higher than the maximum sentence for other offenses.

Chairman Gray said that the new resolution was one of the easiest pieces of legislation to pass because of the unanimous support from all members of the DC council.

Although we “can’t assume it’s going to be a panacea,” said Gray, he hopes the resolution will serve to “sensitize more people” to hate crimes and the issues that underlie the need for such a resolution.

The new resolution addresses the question, “how do we create an environment of tolerance of differences?”

Chairman Gray sees the resolution being used, for example, as part of orientation for policemen and fireman who serve as the district’s ambassadors. He also sees the resolution being used as a tool to facilitate further discussion among groups who work on issues of hate.

The resolution emphasizes that hate is learned. It calls upon schools to play a role in creating citizens who can “respect the differences that makes us a world class and diverse city.”

“First, school systems should reflect diversity.”  Chairman Gray sees schools as providing young people with an enormous opportunity to learn how to “receive people well.” He mentioned, as an example, DC school system’s continuing struggle to accommodate young people with disabilities.

When asked about recent evidence of hate in the nation’s capital, Chairman Gray said that while the “face of hate may change, it’s fundamental nature does not change.”

He goes on to say that “we uphold the constitutional rights of citizens, and we will do whatever we can to make sure those principles are upheld.”