Let’s Get A Hate Crimes Law

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Let’s Get A Hate Crimes Law

by Gail Riecken CCO StateHouse Editor

Last week Governor Eric Holcomb announced his intentions to promote another hate crimes bill in Indiana. His comments came just after the recent incident in Carmel where a synagogue was horribly vandalized with Nazi symbols.

Both Republican and Democrat leadership followed up with an endorsement of the Governor’s actions.

House Speaker Brian Bosma explained, “The Interim Study Committee on Corrections and Criminal Code will take another look at the issue of bias-motivated crimes and identify opportunities for legislative consensus. Indiana judges already have the ability to enhance sentences based on a criminal’s motivation when presented with evidence of bias, but perhaps more needs to be done to clarify and highlight this existing provision.”

House Democrat Minority Leader Rep.Terry Goodin responded, “But this is Indiana, where we find it easier to talk about stopping hate crimes instead of actually doing something about it. The governor announcing his support is one thing. Getting the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate to act is another.”

Goodin is right. Hate crimes bills aren’t new to Indiana politics. They fail when gender identity is added to the language.

I’m not going to hold my breath that the Governor will succeed and gain consensus, but I am going to support any effort to move this issue beyond present law.

I have never understood why social conservative legislators can’t separate what ought to be law to protect innocent people whatever the gender they are from what they, the social conservatives, personally can’t accept as anyone’s lifestyle.

There is no doubt defacing a sacred building is deplorable but crimes against individuals just because their gender is different from what they were born is equally deplorable.

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1 COMMENT

  1. So tired of this hate crime thing. Go ahead and do it, solves absolutely nothing, just liberal political rhetoric. There’s no evidence the building vandalized was anything more than vandalism. The so called hate at the Air Force Academy turned out to be a minority student wanting to start problems. The so called hate crime because a window was chipped at the Jewish Temple has never been proven to be a hate crime. The Temple is adjacent to a play ground and the FBI said it was POSSIBLY and hate crime. I think it was a rock thrown from a lawn mower. Hate crimes get a lot of attention from politicians wanting media face time. If tougher laws stopped any crimes Chicago would be the safest city in American. Go ahead, waste time and money with a worthless new law that solves nothing except make liberals feel good about themselves. Sentences are already suspended early. Gail you are by your best by date, your message and the message of your party no longer resonates with people. Get woke. Do something meaningful and productive.

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