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What Is the Meaning of this Symbol?. Swastika. Ancient symbol used for over 3,000 years meaning “good to be…” (good luck) Many different – positive connotations used by many cultures
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Swastika • Ancient symbol used for over 3,000 years meaning “good to be…” (good luck) • Many different – positive connotations used by many cultures • Hitler, a frustrated artist, was responsible for propaganda development for National Socialist Party; in 1920 he selected the swastika as an emblem of racial purity …”eternally anti-Semitic”
DEFINITION “…Criminal offenses motivated by hatred against a victim based on his or her race, religion, sexual orientation, handicap, ethnicity, or national origin.” BJA Monograph: A Policymaker’s Guide to Hate Crimes (November 1999)
Revised Code of Washington RCW 9A.36.080 “Malicious Harassment” Maliciously & intentionally causes: • Physical injury • Physical damage to property • Threatens/puts a person in reasonable fear of injury to person or property • Class C Felony
Victim Status Required by RCW • Race • Color • Religion • Ancestry • National Origin • Gender • Sexual Orientation • Handicap
History • Early Romans persecuted the Christians • 1940’s: Nazi’s extermination of 6.5 million Jews referred to as the “final solution” • 1994: Genocide in Rwanda (Tutsis v. Hutus – “tribal warfare” resulting in 850,000 deaths) • 1995-97: “Ethnic cleansing” in Bosnia (murder, rape, expulsion of Bosnian citizens)
Significance of Hate Crimes • One crime targets every member of that group • “Psychological impact” is felt by all members of that group • Community stability is lessened • Retaliation and counter-retaliation can occur
Victims In United States • African Americans (most frequent target) • Jewish population • Gays • Muslims (9/11) • Asian Americans India (intellect, economic, outsourcing) • Federal government workers
Individual Perpetrators • Scapegoat mentality ((intellect, economic, outsourcing…) • View their targets as threats to safety and property values • “Thrill seekers” – randomly select their victims, minority status is interchangeable, act on impulse • “Mission Offenders” –though a minority, believe they are on a mission to rid the world of a perceived “evil”
Psychology of the Perpetrator • “The criminal invokes race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation as a pretext for doing whatever he wants. He is no stranger to assault, robbery, or rape to begin with. Victimizing a person from a particular group that he professes to dislike heightens the excitement and increases the satisfaction. …There is nothing unique about the psychology of hate-crime perpetrators. They are criminals just like any other.” Stanton E. Samenow, Ph. D., Inside The Criminal Mind (2003)
Hate Crime Statistics • Meaningful statistics are difficult to establish • Hate crimes are typically underreported
Problems With Statistics • Many LE agencies lack staff, inclination, or technical expertise to report statistics • Certain communities “underreport” to preserve cultural, political, and economic stability • Victims reluctant to report to avoid humiliation (loss of dignity), fear of being “outed,” fear of deportation, and no trust in public officials-authority
Characteristics of Hate Crime • Most crimes are committed by strangers • Most likely to involve physical assault • More likely to result in physical injury caused by “imprecise weapons of opportunity (bricks, bats, tree limbs)
Climate of “Hate” • Shock radio • Racial stereotypes on TV and in movies • Racial “code” language • Personal Experiences
Trigger Incidents • Rodney King incident – acquittal of four police officers caused 1992 Los Angeles riots • Post 9/11 Mosque Burnings
Patriot / White Supremacist Movement • Neo-Nazi’s • Klansman • Montana Freeman (Constitutionalist) • Anti-abortion radicals
A Shift In Strategy • Disclaimers for their members to not commit crimes • Cyber-culture • Underground books • Magazines • Music
Rock Against Communism (RAC) • Misrepresents its target and has a largely white supremacist, anti-Semitic message • “White Power” music
Music September 2004 • Educator Alert! Hate Music Label Targets SchoolsThis is to alert you to an issue with deeply troubling implications for our nation’s schools. Panzerfaust, a white power music company based in Minnesota, plans to target youth through the distribution of 100,000 racist and anti-Semitic CDs to schools and other locations throughout the United States.