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Start stopping hate crimes

Adam Sapp
Wednesday July 10, 2002

The problem with the Berkeley City Council's newest hate crime proposition (as reported in the Daily Planet) is that it only adds to the glut of laws that currently protect people from such crimes. Simply enforce the laws you have concerning breaking windows, destorying property and threatening others instead of trumpeting new plans that simply add paper to the current legal code and make politicians look good. If Berkeley law officials want to curb the violence, make an example out of some offenders and throw them in jail. Perhaps then people will realize this town is serious about stopping hate crimes. Instead it looks like Berkeley politicians are more interested in using this issue as an election soapbox rather than enforcing a real, worthwhile solution that already exists in the form of current law. Stop talking. Stop legislating. Start acting. 

 

Adam Sapp 

Danville, Ohio 

Formerly of Berkeley