Changes

These penalties come into effect if an "actual or perceived" threat occurs.  Because it is up to the court to determine how the criminal perceived the "race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or disability, of the victim," it is felt there is the possibility to abuse this law in places where more ordinary harassment or assault charges would suffice.

These penalties come into effect if an "actual or perceived" threat occurs.  Because it is up to the court to determine how the criminal perceived the "race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or disability, of the victim," it is felt there is the possibility to abuse this law in places where more ordinary harassment or assault charges would suffice.

Two powerful reasons that this bill is dangerous -

There are some hypothetical situations where this bill can cause what many would see as unethical penalties.

1) If two serious assaults were committed against different, but similar, healthy white male young adults, if one were Jewish, the criminal who killed the Jewish person may serve more time.

1) If two serious assaults were committed against different, but similar, healthy white male young adults, if one were Jewish, the criminal who killed the Jewish person may serve more time.