Most all hate crimes are prosecuted as civil rights violations.
On April 25, 2008, Jeremiah Munsen pled guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. Section 245(b)(2)(E) (interference with a federally protected activity), in connection with an incident on September 20, 2007, when he attempted to intimidate a group of African-American civil rights marchers by displaying two hangman’s nooses from the back of a pickup truck in Alexandria, Louisiana. The victims had just attended a massive civil rights rally in Jena, Louisiana, and were waiting at a bus depot for buses to return them to their home-state of Tennessee. On August 18, 2008, Munsen was sentenced to serve four months in prison, followed by one year supervised release.
Trayvon Martin was not marching for civil rights that night. Is walking down the street after getting skittles from the c-store a federally protected activity?
On September 27, 2007, Kyle Shroyer pled guilty to federal conspiracy and civil rights offenses, admitting that he and co-conspirator Kyle Milbourn burned a cross in Muncie, Indiana, at the home of a white woman and her three bi-racial children. In January 2008, Shroyer was sentenced to 15 months in prison. On March 11, 2008, Milbourn was convicted by a federal jury for the federal conspiracy and civil rights offenses, as well as on a charge of obstruction of justice and a charge of using fire in the commission of a federal felony. In June 2008, Milbourn was sentenced to serve 10 years and 30 days in prison.
Burning a cross in the yard of someone is hardly the same as a neighborhood watchman stopping someone on the street to ask whats going on
On August 1, 2006, a federal jury in Los Angeles convicted four Hispanic gang members of hate crimes and firearms violations in connection with a conspiracy to attack and kill African-Americans in the Los Angeles neighborhood claimed by the gang. The jury convicted the defendants of conspiring to violate the federally-protected housing rights of African-Americans; of violating the civil rights of an African-American man who was murdered as he attempted to park his car on a public street; and of using firearms during the commission of these offenses.
conspiracy to attack and kill, obviously not in the same ballpark
Once again Im not trying to instigate anything more, I genuinely think this precedent is very dangerous for everyone, not just one man who happened to kill another of different color. The president interjecting himself into a parochial law enforcement case (dont forget he also interjected himself in '09 when that black guy got arrested in cambridge, mass resulting in beer summit) and The federal government thumbing their nose at our criminal justice system is a very big problem for everyone.
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