By
Grady Strickland
Hate Crimes care awful and yet they happen every day. The thought that a hate crimes can happen anytime anywhere is not something that crosses everyone’s mind daily. Within this essay we will cover the typical individual who commits hate crimes, who the targets or victims of hate crimes are, what the causes and effects of hate crimes are, and what actions can be taken to minimize the amount and occurrence of hate crimes. Unfortunately hate crimes have been a part of the United States, prior to the United States being named. They are a part of our history as Americans, though it is not good history, it is still there. “A hate crime is usually defined by state law as one that involves threats, harassment, or physical harm and is motivated by prejudice against someone's race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation or physical or mental disability.” (USLegal, 2011)
According to statistics a large majority of hate crime offenders are white, young adult, males. This is only statistically speaking though, hates crime offenders can be anyone, anytime, anywhere. Though this seems a scary thought that is how things are. There is no perfect profile for an individual that commits hate crimes, any individual has the potential to do it, and it just depends on the individual and whether they put their thoughts into motion. It can be as simple as someone harassing or getting into a fight with another person because they do not agree with their religion, or it can be as horrendous as a person murdering someone because of their sexuality or race.
The targets of hate crimes can be anyone. Individuals that commit hate crimes, commit them because they do not like a person’s religion, race, sexuality preference, ethnicity, or even physical or mental disability. A majority of time we hear cases on the news that refer to hate crimes caused by race, sexual orientation, and religion. For example not too long ago the news was
References: Works Cited staff, C. W. (2011, 05 17). McDonald 's attack suspects face hate crime charges. Retrieved 16 March, 2012, from CNN.com: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/05/16/maryland.mcdonalds.beating/index.html?iref=allsearch USLegal. (2011). Hate Crime Law & Legal Definition. Retrieved 16 March, 2012, from USLegal.com: http://definitions.uslegal.com/h/hate-crime/ Watts , A., & DiGiacomo, J. (2010, 06 05). Black man 's death, subsequent dragging investigated as a hate crime. Retrieved 16 March, 2012, from CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/06/04/south.carolina.shot.dragged/index.html