Political Quotes

“hate crimes have become an all too common occurrence in our communities. From antisemitic attacks to race inspired murders, these crimes threaten not only our safety, but also the richness of our diversity and who we are as a people. More importantly, we know that hate crimes, which stem from bigotry and ignorance, can be stopped through proper education and awareness. The Velazquez amendment establishes a hate crimes prevention program that would be incorporated into title IV, The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of H.R. 6. This amendment would emphasize tolerance and acceptance through education, and would deter our children from falling into the dark pit of elitist thought and bigotry. In 1991, there were 4,755 hate-related crimes reported under the Hate Crimes Statistics Act. Racial bias was the motivation behind 60 percent of these crimes, followed by religious bias crimes at 20 percent, and ethnic and sexually oriented crimes at 10 percent. This data was based on information submitted by only 32 States, and falls far short from predictions by several racial, ethnic and religious organizations, who claim that the numbers of hate crimes exceed the tens of thousands annually.”