Hate Crimes

The Power of Hate Violence

In the 1980s, hate crimes were often referred to as a form of domestic terrorism. It was a shorthand way to understand the egregious nature of the violence as well as its symbolic nature. But, hate crimes were more than acts of violence directed at the victims. They were also known as message crimes, acts and symbols of violence that were intended to communicate a message of domination, dehumanization, and subordination to those who shared the victim's primary identity. In other words, while the victims may endure primary physical and psychological harms, the community in which the victim belonged to could also face distinctive secondary effects as result of the incident. From the perspective of the offender, anyone in the community can become a potential target so long as they fit the mental picture in the offender's mind. Everyone is a potential victim. This is what makes hate crimes so distinguishable and powerful from other crimes because victims are in this sense interchangeable but stigmatized because of their racial, gender, religious, or sexual identity.

Primary and Secondary Effects

Incidents of hate can be violent (that is, assaults, rapes, murders, etc.) or nonviolent (that is, threats, intimidation, graffiti, etc.). Some of the primary negative effects for the victim can include physical and emotional trauma such as fear, distrust of others, paranoia, and mental stress. It can adversely impact their performance in school, work, or their lives at home. If left unchecked, these negative effects can sometimes lead to depression, suicide, [Page 427]or even retaliatory tendencies. As mentioned earlier, secondary effects include those members who share the victim's primary identity. Secondary effects are generally similar to the primary victim's but differ in intensity and degree. There is, however, a greater awareness, sensitivity, and fear as a result of the initial violence or incident. If incidents continue, the fear and anxiety a community feels intensifies accordingly. Another secondary effect that sometimes occur, especially when incidents continue to escalate, or law enforcement fails to respond, is that a community begins to organize politically or, in some instances, develop their own means for self-defense.

...