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Date Posted: 09:36:55 04/12/06 Wed
Author: Iron Gauntlet
Subject: Re: what human conditions cause higher crime rates?
In reply to: earth tone son 's message, "what human conditions cause higher crime rates?" on 06:39:31 04/07/06 Fri

>and which is easier---to attack the causes thereof, or
>the effects of said conditions?

Shocking FBI study: Blacks are more likely to be arrested for hate crimes

Culture/Society Front Page News Keywords: LIBERTARIAN PARTY, HATE CRIMES REPORT
Source: Libertarian Party press release via email
Published: 2-15-01 Author: Press Release
Posted on 02/15/2001 15:31:30 PST by oursacredhonor
WASHINGTON, DC -- African-Americans who thought that hate crime laws would protect them against rampaging white racists are in for a shock: A new FBI study reveals that blacks are proportionally one-and- a-half times more likely to be arrested for hate crimes against whites than vice versa.

"This new hate crime study is Jesse Jackson's worst nightmare," said Steve Dasbach, Libertarian Party national director. "It appears that he and other African-American leaders have been duped into crusading for laws that have condemned a disproportionate number of blacks to prison.

"In light of this study, it's fair to ask who poses a greater threat to the black community: Racist, violent whites -- or oblivious black politicians?"

The hate-crime issue was thrust back into the national spotlight on Tuesday when the FBI released its "Hate Crime Statistics" report for 1999, which is part of the agency's annual Uniform Crime Report.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide reported that 2,030 whites were arrested for hate crimes against blacks, while 524 African- Americans were arrested for such crimes against whites.

Adjusting for the fact that blacks make up only 13% of the population, blacks were statistically one-and-a-half times more likely than whites to face prosecution for hate crimes.

"Unfortunately, hate crime laws have boomeranged on blacks," said Dasbach. "African-Americans thought that hate crime legislation would protect them, but instead they're being used as another legal weapon to prosecute them.

"And though Americans may assume that politicians who write such laws are well-intended, it's obvious that for blacks, the road to prison is paved with good intentions."

The study also revealed that, shockingly, 87 African-Americans were arrested in 1999 for hate crimes against other blacks, meaning that even among same-race crimes, some minorities face heightened jail terms because of hate crime laws.

"Hate crimes aren't just for KKK members anymore," said Dasbach. "They are now being applied even to same-race crimes -- apparently giving racist police, prosecutors, or judges another weapon to use against African-Americans."

The solution to this disproportionate application of hate crime laws is simple, said Dasbach: Eliminate hate crime laws.

"Racist criminals, whether white or black, should be punished for their crimes, but hate crime laws aren't needed to do that," he said.

"Murder is murder and assault is assault -- regardless of whether the criminal was motivated by racist hate, generic hate, or pure greed, lust, or envy. People should be prosecuted for their actions, not for their opinions."

Such a straightforward system of punishing criminals for their crimes, not their thoughts, would make the criminal justice system more fair, more simple, and more effective, said Dasbach.

"Real crimes -- like rape, murder, and robbery -- don't require police to play a guessing game to determine whether they actually occurred, but 'thought crimes' do," he said. "For example, how is a police officer supposed to determine whether a hypothetical black criminal chose a robbery victim because he was rich, because he was white, or because he was rich and white? And why should it make a difference? People should be prosecuted for their actions, not for their opinions."

The bottom line is that crimes against a certain protected class of citizens should not be treated more seriously than crimes against anyone else, said Dasbach.

"To do so is un-American, and a violation of equal justice under the law," he said. "It also creates the ironic situation we now face: Laws that were supposed to stop racism apparently have racist consequences -- making hate crime laws themselves a hate crime against African-Americans."

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