What is a hate crime?
Eugene residents are standing up against hate crimes. So what exactly are "hate crimes"? By Meghan Kalkstein and KVAL Web StaffEUGENE, Ore. - Prosectuors haven't determined yet if an recent attack on a black man in Eugene was racially motivated, but people have started talking about it as a "hate crime." Under Oregon law, the actions people often call "hate crimes" are actually called intimidation. This isn't the first instance of what police call a possible bias crime. In Medford, two men were recently charged with intimidation for allegedly burning the letters "KKK" into the grass of a Jamaican man's home. | BACKGROUND But when a Eugene synagogue was vandalized last year, investigators determined the crime was petty vandalism. So when is a crime intimidation? "What we have in oregon is called intimidation and that could be interpreted as hate crime, but it doesn't have anywhere in it the element of hate," said Doug Harcleroad, Lane County district attorney. Harcleroad said police have to find evidence that the act was biased and included a substantial crime. Hharcleroad said last year in Lane County, there weren't a lot of intimidation charges. "We only had two felony intimidation charges and six misdemeanor charges, so it's not one of the high volume crimes here in Lane County, which i'm grateful for," he said. In this most recent Eugene assault case, Harcleroad said the two suspects have already been charged with assault. In the eyes of the law, assault is a more serious crime than intimidation. However, he said that doesn't mean they wouldn't face additional charges if more evidence comes to light. |
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