NC legislators to reintroduce Hate Crimes Prevention Act in wake of Atlanta shootings
Following the killing of eight people, most of them Asian women, in Atlanta this week, and a spike in anti-Asian violence during the coronavirus pandemic, some North Carolina lawmakers will again push for a new hate crime law.
Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, one of the only Asian Americans ever elected to the General Assembly, said Thursday that he and two other state senators will file the Hate Crimes Prevention Act again this session. State House members will also file a version of the bill.
Chaudhuri said while the shootings in Atlanta-area spas Tuesday have not yet been deemed a hate crime, Asian-Americans have long been discriminated against and been portrayed as foreigners and outsiders.
“Many members of our community are scared and anxious and fearful,” he said.
The Raleigh Democrat has filed the same legislation in every session he’s served in the state Senate, he said. Similar bills filed in 2018 and 2019 never received hearings in the Republican-controlled legislature.
“This bill deserves a hearing,” Chaudhuri said. “I’m under no illusion that the passage of this bill will do away with hate crimes and hate groups, but this legislation does build trust with our communities that are targeted by hate crimes.”
“If we wish to pursue a perfect union and state, then we must confront and take on the often dark and ugly side of our democracy,” he said.
Past iterations of the bill were largely inspired by the murders of three young Muslim people in Chapel Hill by their white neighbor, who posted vitriolic anti-religious messages online before the killings. Authorities did not classify those killing as hate crimes, instead blaming them on a parking dispute.
That frustrated family members and outside advocates, in a situation similar to the new impetus for the bill — the killings of eight people near Atlanta, six of them woman of Asian descent, by a white man who police said wasn’t motivated by racial animus but by a self-described sex addict having “a really bad day.”
What the hate crimes bill would do
The bill has four components, including the creation of a hate crimes database, expanded protections against hate crimes and increased punishments for such crimes. If signed into law, it would also require training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors on hate crimes.
“A critical point of this legislation is not simply about expanding the scope of hate crimes or punitive measures, but it’s also about the necessary and critical investment in law enforcement agencies to assist with properly identifying, responding to and reporting hate crimes,” said Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, a Democrat from Mecklenburg County.
Mohammed underscored the importance of data collection, saying it drives policy and problem solving.
“If we don’t report the data, those in power and the public will believe hate crimes are not an issue, and it becomes much more difficult to tackle a very real problem,” he said.
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This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 10:24 AM with the headline "NC legislators to reintroduce Hate Crimes Prevention Act in wake of Atlanta shootings."
