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City of Denver sponsored “Legislate Against Hate by ‘08″ Rally
by Mandi Jones
Today a collaboration of organizations from the Denver metro area, along with mayor John Hickenlooper, hosted a rally to support legislation working to stop hate crimes entitled Legislate Against Hate by '08. Distinguished speakers representing the LGBTI, Latino, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities spoke out in support of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Act of 2007 (H.R. 1592) that passed through the House of Representatives by a vote of 237-180 today and will now go before the Congress. Colorado Democratic Congressman Ken Salazar is one of the 171 co-sponsors of this piece of legislation that will give local authorities all across the country the federal assistance they need to prosecute crimes committed out of ignorance and bigotry. The bill was primarily sponsored by John Conyers (D-MI), and to view how your state representatives voted on this bill, click here.
A hundred people or so gathered around the steps of the Denver Courthouse to show their support, waving signs that said "Legislate Against Hate by '08" and "Democracy NOT Theocracy". Forty-six states currently have hate crime laws, including Colorado, however, the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity-related crimes are often not covered under current statutes. Of the four states that do not have any laws against hate crimes, Wyoming is among them despite the brutal murder of homosexual Matthew Shepard that made international headlines eight years ago. Matthew was only twenty-one when he died.
The speakers included Dr. Vincent Harding, Professor Emeritus at Illiff School of Theology and founder of the Veterans of Hope Project; Nita Gonzales, President of La Escuela Tlatelolco de Estudios and political activist; Chris Dubowski, Mountain States Anti-Defamation League; Reverend Ben Reynolds; Statement read on behalf of Judy Shepard, President of the Mathew Shepard Foundation; Rima Sinclair, Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism; Dee Galloway, poet; Reverend Dr. Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance and host of Air America's "State of Belief".
Here is Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's speech:
The common theme among the messages of today's speakers was to apply pressure on Congress by calling your Congressmen and women and demand that they support H.R. 1592. This is especially crucial since the White House released a Statement of Administrative Policy after today's vote that advocated a presidential veto if the bill were to pass through the Congress. The Statement opened with the following paragraph:
The Administration favors strong criminal penalties for violent crime, including crime based on personal characteristics, such as race, color, religion, or national origin. However, the Administration believes that H.R. 1592 is unnecessary and constitutionally questionable. If H.R. 1592 were presented to the President, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
You can read the official Executive document here. Also, take note that the above statement does not mention either homosexuality or gender identity in what the Administration considers some of the "personal characteristics" they feel so adamant to protect from being targeted. Among the arguments against H.R. 1592 are that it will violate one's freedom of speech, prohibit the preaching of the gospel (Evangelical) and will allow more cross-dressing in public (I'm not lying, that is really one of the key issues for some influential folks!). The controversy surrounding this bill is that it will provide exclusive repercussions to those who commit a hate crime against someone for being lesbian, gay, transgendered or transsexual - a federal mandate that has yet to pass any President into law. The opposition's stance is quite clear in that none of them want to lose their right to gay-bash either at the pulpit or on the air; their privilege to advocate homophobia is far more important than those who suffer at the hands of the violent perpetrators who take their message of intolerance one step further.
The Justice Department has reported that 113,000 hate crimes have been reported since 1991, however, the government has also acknowledged that the number of hate crimes actually committed may exceed 15 times that number (that's 1,695,000 just since 1991, people). From Guantanamo, police brutality and the Minute Men to sexual predators, conservative talk-show pundits and fanatic Evangelical preachers, the level of hate that is saturating our mainstream culture while becoming socially acceptable is an alarming trend that's turning ever-more dangerous for anyone part of a minority population in America. This bill may be a significant step towards reversing that trend, both socially and politically. Contact your member of Congress by clicking here.
