Hate-crime charges filed in anti-Semitic graffiti case in Van Nuys

There are many real crimes this idiot could be charged with and if convicted, receive the maximum sentence for each of them and he would and should spend some serious time in jail. The whole concept of "hate crimes" reeks of "thought crimes" and doesn't belong in our Republic, not to mention that it is applied almost exclusively to white on black & perverts crimes.

It's a "get whitey" & "homophobes" concept, for the most part and should be abolished.

I don't disagree with what it reeks of. And you're right about it's use. And from most news articles I read, the problem is not only racial selectivity, but the fact that they sometimes seem to be used in inappropriate circumstances to enhance charges. Perhaps some of FR's lawyers will help us. For example, a couple of inebriates in a bar come to blows, one of them uses a racial epithet, I'm not thinking about cracker here.. The altercation may not have been about race, but he said the wrong word, enhancing the charge. Inappropriate. That's not the case here. This was clear intimidation. As a Jew I would take Kill Jews as a threat, reinforced by the Nazi references. As a layman, I'd take it as a threat of assault, which I believe qualifies in many states as assault. I think that's the approach the legal system should take though I acknowledge I don't know the charges that could be brought. But it's not simply graffiti. And if hate crime charges are how California handles it, I'm OK with that. I hope they'd handle my cracker example the same way, though I doubt it. As an aside I do think "hate" is a legitimate sentencing issue, but that's less a function of the crime than the risk of recidivism.

Are you implying that punishments should be settled upon by courts and juries based upon the circumstances of the individual case?

What kind of radical are you?

This is America, 2014. Our charges and sentences are dictated by politicians trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Now, let’s go find a dead kid to name another law after!

/sarc

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.