Hate crimes have been on a skyward trend since 2014, with crimes against different races and ethnicity taking centre stage.
Did you know the US law states that persons spreading hate crimes are liable to a sentence of up to one year and if the crime leads to any injury or death, a maximum of 10 years?
Neama Rahmani and Allen Patatanyan, founders of West Coast Trial Lawyers, speak on the rise of hate crimes against minorities. Both have been practicing law for a long time, which equips them with the necessary skills and know-how to handle various cases.
Hate crimes are not new among people of colour. From being verbally harassed to physically assaulted, there has been an alarming onslaught of crimes against Asians, with new cases each day. Most of these crimes are connected to the Covid-19 pandemic, primarily because it gained notoriety as the ‘Asian flu’ during the beginning of the pandemic. Asian people make up about 15% of the US population, with recent research indicating that in March 2020, there were around 800 hate crimes against the Asian community.
We all remember George Floyd’s case as one that caused a significant uproar. According to WCTL, if these cases are not nipped in the bud, hate crimes will continue to escalate. This, in turn, will see an increase in casualties if not taken seriously. With organisations like the BLM Movement, racism and police brutality might come to an end. WCTL says that most hate crime perpetrators are motivated by either retaliation or defence, but some do it for excitement, among other factors.
However, most hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ people are caused by social environments. In some cultures, they tend to give advantage to specific characteristics within an individual while foregoing others. Some are also a bit reluctant to adapt to change, giving the perpetrators impunity. This, as WCTL puts it, has seen many LGBTQIA+ people face a lot of violent discrimination.
Most of these crimes, according to WCTL, have put the minorities into the mentality or zone where they feel they have to protect themselves because society is not doing its part in protecting them, causing a lot of distrust and fear.
Considering how these crimes have impacted the human way of living, it is up to us to stop these hate crimes and call out the perpetrators who are amongst us.