By Steve Neavling
The Justice Department will award law enforcement agencies with more than $21 million to help investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
The announcement last week came amid an alarming rise in reported hate crimes.
“Hate crimes instill fear across entire communities. They have profoundly negative and unacceptable effects on our society,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement. “The department is committed to using all tools at our disposal to combat unlawful acts of hate. These awards will provide state, local and tribal agencies additional support and critical resources to address hate crimes and their far-reaching effects.”
Thursday’s announcement coincided with the 12th anniversary of the enactment of the Mathew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The act empowers the Justice Department to prosecute hate crimes, even if law enforcement can’t show that the vicim was engaged in a federally protected activity.
“Acts of violence and destruction motivated by hate and bias cause lasting harm to victims, terrorize entire communities and divide our nation, leaving deep scars and stalling the march toward equal justice,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon of the Office of Justice Programs. “We must work together to bridge the gaps of empathy, root out intolerance in all its forms and send a clear message that the future belongs to every American, no matter what they look like, how they worship and whom they love.”
