Constitutional Law
FBI Hate Crimes Stats Soar; Noose Use Not Counted
Posted Nov 19, 2007, 06:01 pm CST
By Martha Neil
Hate crimes rose significantly in 2006, up nearly 8 percent in that one year alone, according to the FBI.
"Police across the nation reported 7,722 criminal incidents in 2006 targeting victims or property as a result of bias against a race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic or national origin or physical or mental disability. That was up 7.8 percent from 7,163 incidents reported in 2005," writes the Associated Press.
"The FBI report confirms what we have been saying for many months about the severe increase in hate crimes," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who organized a civil rights march on Washington, D.C., on Friday. "What is not reported, however, is the lack of prosecution and serious investigation by the Justice Department to counter this increase in hate crimes."
As discussed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts, Friday's march also sparked renewed complaints about the way the so-called Jena 6 have been treated, among numerous other incidents of perceived racial injustice that came in for criticism. One reason for the increase shown in the FBI stats may be a white backlash against those calling for more attention to civil rights in Jena, La., and elsewhere.
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