Hate crimes continue to take a terrible toll on our society. Early this year, the FBI released its hate crimes statistics for 1999, documenting 7,876 incidents. More than half of the crimes reported were related to racial bias. The number of murders linked to prejudice reached a five-year high.
Studies show that hate crimes are more than simply an attack on an individual.
Hate crimes are meant to send a message of fear and terror to an entire community. Significant gaps still exist in protecting all Americans from hate-motivated crimes. The HCPA was within a few votes of passage by the 106th Congress last year. Contact your members of Congress this week. Tell them that hate crimes are unacceptable in America and that this legislation can no longer be delayed.