Wichita recorded 44 incidents based on race, nine on sexual orientation and two on ethnicity that year, she said. In some ways, we still lack the legal protection that other groups in the community have. Szneler said education and exposure to minority groups are the best weapons against hate crimes. When people work and live side by side with others who are different, they realize their similarities and discover their differences aren't so great. When it all comes down to it, we all basically have the same wants and fears.
Hate is really baseless.
Hate crimes generally occur because of economic reasons, social preparedness of children, and more visibility of certain groups in the community who have had bad experiences with different people, Patton said. Most occur under very ordinary circumstances. Yet, hate crimes still send mixed messages about the worth of minorities, Ralph said.