Hate Crimes Rise 8% for 2006

In a report marked by spotty and uneven reporting the FBI concluded that Hate Crimes are up 8% for the year 2006. Southern states are the worst at reporting hate crimes whereas states like California are more efficient.

Most criminals who perpetrate hate crimes are white 59% and most victims are minorities. Black account for victims of most racially biased crimes, Jews fall victim of religiously motivated hate crimes, Hispanics are the ethnic victim of choice and no surprise gay men lead the list of sexual orientation.

Though the report gives no conclusions of what it means, I think it’s safe to say a lot of the rise has to do with the timbre of public discourse in recent years. As far right evangelicals cry for punishment of gays and lesbians and the media drums up racial divisions it is no surprise that hate crimes are on the rise. Biased reporting and programs that promote stereotypes add to the problem, but they are not the root cause.

The real problem is in the hearts of Americans. Our country has always been a melting pot, but with that mix comes fear ignorance and prejudice. We have had times of much worse violence against minorities, but that is no excuse. What we need is a new way of understanding what it means to be an American. I think we have dome a disservice to our kids when we fail to teach them about the great waves of immigrants that settled this country. When we fail to teach them about the past prejudices and problems, they will be clueless when they have to handle them.

We need to be spreading a message of not just tolerance, but acceptance. So long as our politicians and church leaders use wedges to divide us from them, we will continue to have the problem of hate crimes.
It’s time someone actually started teaching the golden rule as something other than a platitude.