How does U.S. Department of Justice handle hate crimes?

In 1997, President William Bill Jefferson Clinton declared, "Starting today, every United States Attorney in our country will establish or expand working groups to develop enforcement practices, and educate the public about hate crimes. This national hate crimes network will marshal the resources of Federal, state and local enforcement, community groups, educators, and anti-violence advocates, to give us another powerful tool in the struggle against hate crimes."

Perhaps President Obama should get involved in having Zimmerman arrested just as French Prsident Sarkozy has gotten involved in the manhunt for a killer of Jews in France.

Since it has been reported that the Justice Department has sent its Customer Relations Service (CRS) to Stanford, Fl. to meet with the community and civil rights activist protesting the murder of Trayvon Martin, we decided to take a look at this organization, how it defines hate crimes, and what it has done in the face of hate crimes.

According to its website (http://www.justice.gov/crs/pubs/htecrm.htm), CRS  is a specialized Federal conciliation service available to State and local officials to help resolve and prevent racial and ethnic conflict, violence and civil disorders. Note again, it is set up to help local governments, not people in the community. As with all investigations, these types of organizations help "defend" police department actions when they come under scrutiny by members of the community.

CRS defines a hate crime as "violence of intolerance and bigotry, intended to hurt and intimidate someone because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religious, sexual orientation, or disability."

In the past, the CRS has become involved in school and business  issues as well as murders and church burnings. 

Perhaps the most notorious hate crime in recent history was the dragging death of James Byrd, Jr. in Jasper, Texas in 1998. Byrd was an  African American male murdered by three white men who were all tried and convicted. One was executed by lethal injection, one  received a life sentence in prison, and one is still on death row.

According to 2008 FBI statistics, of 16,272 crimes of murder and non-negligent manslaughter committed, only 7 were deemed hate crimes. The Southern Poverty Law Center, however, counted 1,018 active hate groups in the United States in 2011.

Hate group map: Southern Poverty Law Center 

©2012 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.