Louisiana could be the first state where targeting police is a hate crime

nola.com/The Washington Post ^ | 5/21/16

[BBell]

In many states, extra punishment is meted out to those who commit crimes against others because of their race or religion. Such hate-crime laws elevate the heinousness of crimes in which people are targeted because of their identity, their belonging to a group.

While hate-crime laws often refer to ethnicity or disability or gender, Louisiana is about to do something different. The state is poised to become the first in the nation where public-safety personnel will be a protected class under hate-crime law - a move that comes amid a simmering national debate about police shootings and whether that debate has given rise to an anti-law-enforcement climate.

The Louisiana legislation has been referred to as "Blue Lives Matter" - a phrase popularized in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, which exploded following the fatal 2014 police shooting of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Mo.

Black Lives Matter activists have protested what they deem as excessive force by police, and they have called attention to specific instances in which police shot unarmed civilians.

But those who respond with "Blue Lives Matter" argue it's officers who are under assault - that criticism of police fosters animosity toward law enforcement.

Louisiana House Bill 953 faced little opposition from lawmakers; the House passed it 91 -0, and the state Senate approved it 33-3. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. John Bel Edwards (D).

Some states have floated proposals similar to the Louisiana legislation, and a bill proposed in Congress would amend federal hate-crime law to include officers as a protected class.

"Talking heads on television and inflammatory rhetoric on social media are inciting acts of hatred and violence toward our nation's peace officers," Chuck Canterbury, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said in a statement. "Our members are increasingly

[BBell]

The BLM movement has not really taken hold down here. Quite the opposite has happened.

[thoughtomator]

soon everybody will have a special law to protect their own group

everyone except white men who don’t work for the government

[HarleyLady27]

We started a new project to show our Police we respect them, we can place a Blue Light in our Patio, window or somewhere or we can paint a Blue stripe on the curb...

They seem to enjoy that...we also have a thing going when we see a person in uniform, we say ‘Thank you for your Service’ and we also do that to our Fire, Police and EMT people...

[The Cuban]

Yes let’s have special laws for everyone

[BBell]

We do the same thing here.

[BBell]

I am no big fan of hate crimes laws.

[samtheman]

Hate Crime laws are always stupid.

Just enforce and increase the penalties against assaulting police officers.

That is already against he law in LA, I assume.

[thoughtomator]

couldn’t hurt to smear some lamb’s blood on the doorposts, either

[HarleyLady27]

What’s that all about?

[Gay State Conservative]

I absolutely reject the basic concept of "hate crimes".If you,for example,intentionally injure someone without a *damn* good reason I couldn't care less if you did it because you hate that (insert race,gender or ethnicity here) son-of-a-gun or because you were having a bad day.If the evidence proves that the crime took place and that you did it I,a juror,am gonna vote guilty.

I might...*might*...make an exception when the victim of a crime is a child or an elderly person.

[thoughtomator]

it’s one of those references that really shouldn’t have to be explained

[BBell]

I agree. I am no big fan of hate crime laws.

[Glad2bnuts]

So if you called a police officer a pig, you could then be arrested for a hate crime? That seems to be the way we are going. Lets just get rid of freedom of speech, you don’t need it if the only things you can say without violating a law, are complimentary.

[BBell]

I am no big fan of hate crime laws.

[Carthego delenda est]

Silly me. I thought becoming a cop was a choice.

[Moltke]

Such hate-crime laws elevate the heinousness of crimes in which people are targeted because of their identity, their belonging to a group.

LOL. Looks like someone's been watching a lot of Law & Order episodes.

[BBell]

I hate Law & Order. It used to be good. 20 years ago.

[Fester Chugabrew]

Yeah. As opposed to a “love crime.” What unmitigated nonsense has been perpetrated upon the American public by lazy parents and inept schoolmasters!

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

The old way of dealing with this was clear and certain, that if someone murdered a police officer, they were guaranteed to be quickly executed, with a minimum of fuss.

No need for playing legal games, or any other means to delay the process.

[nicepaco]

I hate hate crimes. They are thought crimes and I get mad just thinking about it.