Federal jurisdiction will continue to be a back-up to local and state prosecutions. My final recommendation is that we try to attack the root causes of hate crime. Our efforts to confront the demons that breed hate and hate-based violence must begin early. Intolerance often begins not with a violent act, but with a small indignity or bigoted remark. To move forward as one community, we must work against the stereotypes and prejudices that cause these actions.
Hate is learned.
It can be unlearned. We must engage our schools, houses of worship, and other community institutions in the crucial task of teaching our children moral values and social responsibility, and preventing the development of the prejudice and stereotyping that leads to hate crime. Tolerance is easy to talk about, but often hard to practice. The U.S. Departments of Justice and Education have initiated a middle school program to promote tolerance. And right here in Maine, Attorney General Drew Ketterer has started a program to teach high school students about tolerance and hate.