Roth's impression is that the general climate of anti-Semitism has diminished somewhat. He said he hopes the Thursday event will help people see there are practical things a society can do to ease hateful violence. He suggested support for anti-hate legislation, gun control initiatives and the work of the Metro Human Relations Commission. Winbush cited statistics that point to a recent jump in hate crimes. The profile of the perpetrators of many such crimes is reportedly white males between ages 15-30, he said.
Hate crimes come out of anger misplaced and displaced.
Houston has used his coffee house to organize other evening talks on community ills and reconciliation issues. Things have to change. Associated Press content is Copyrighted by The Associated Press.