TO
TO THE
TO THE FEAR OF JUST CONDUCTING A NORMAL EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES IS REAL ON
THE MINDS OF A LOT
OF ASIAN-AMERICANS ACROSS THIS
COUNTRY AND ASIAN-AMERICANS
LIVING IN COLORADO SAY NOW IS
THE TIME TO SHED LIGHT ON
THE INCREASING RATES OF VIOLENT
ATTACKS ON THEIR COMMUNITY.
SO SINCE THIS PANDEMICS
PANDEMIC BEGAN STOP AMERICAN
ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AAPI
HATE HAS REPORTED AN UPTICK
OF ATTACKS ACROSS THE US AS
OF MID-MAY 20 20 THERE HAVE
BEEN NEARLY 4000 ATTACKS ON
ASIAN PEOPLE IN AMERICA AND
THIS WEEK IN ATLANTA A WHITE AN
ADMITTED TO GOING ON A SHOOTING
SPREE KILLING EIGHT.
SIX OF HIS VICTIMS WERE ASIAN
WOMEN.
INVESTIGATORS SAY THE SHOOTER
CITED A SEX ADDICTION FOR HIS
VIOLENT.
STILL THOUGH SOME ARE
QUESTIONING WHY THIS ISN'T
AUTOMATICALLY SEEN AS A HATE
CRIME CASE FOR THOSE
PROSECUTORS ARE 9NEWS LEGAL
LEGAL ANALYSTS WHITNEY TRAYLOR
AND HE'S AN MSU PROFESSOR IS
HERE TO HELP CLARIFY THINGS.
WHITNEY, GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING, GARY.
GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
SO TALK ABOUT THIS.
WHAT ARE THE WHAT ARE
THE ELEMENTS OF A HATE CRIME
THAT THE INVESTIGATORS HAVE TO
LOOK FOR SURE A HATE CRIME IS
GENERALLY IT'S ALSO KNOWN AS A
BIAS MOTIVATED CRIME AND
ESSENTIALLY IT OCCURS WHEN
THE PERPETRATOR INTENTIONALLY
SELECTS VICTIMS BASED ON A BIAS
OR PREJUDICE THAT'S BASED ON A
PROTECTED TRAIT SUCH AS RACE,
SEXUAL ORIENTATION, DISABILITY
,NATIONAL ORIGIN AND THINGS
OF THAT NATURE.
THERE IS A FEDERAL HATE CRIMES
PREVENTION ACT THAT WAS
INITIATED AFTER THE MATTHEW
SHEPARD KILLING IN WYOMING
YEARS AGO AND GEORGIA ALSO JUST
RECENTLY ACTUALLY IT WAS JUST
SIGNED INTO LAW LAST YEAR WAS
ONE OF THE LAST STATES TO
ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT HATE CRIME.
THERE'S STILL THREE STATES THAT
DON'T HAVE IT.
COLORADO DEFINITELY HAS A HATE
CRIME WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY IS
THE SAME DEFINITION IS WHAT
I READ EARLIER.
SO GENERALLY IT'S CRIMES
PERPETUATED BASED ON THESE
PROTECTED RIGHTS.
YEAH.
AND THIS CASE IS THERE DO YOU
THINK THERE'S ENOUGH EVIDENCE
TO SUPPORT ANY OF THAT?
WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE IT.
I MEAN, GARY, YOU HAVE TO
CONSIDER THE STATISTICS,
THE POPULATION AND THINGS LIKE
THAT.
SO IN ATLANTA FOUR PERCENT
OF THE POPULATION IS ASIAN AND
TWO PERCENT IN CHEROKEE COUNTY
WHERE THERE WAS ANOTHER
SHOOTING.
AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT AND
YOU SEE SIX PEOPLE OF ASIAN
DESCENT WERE WERE KILLED AND
SEVEN WOMEN WERE ACTUALLY
KILLED, I THINK THERE'S
EVIDENCE CERTAINLY TO SUPPORT
INVESTIGATING.
BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S YOU
KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE
STATISTICS, IT DOES SEEM LIKE
THEY WERE TARGETED.
YEAH.
SO HEY, WHITNEY, GIVEN WHAT YOU
JUST SAID AND THE INFORMATION
THAT'S AVAILABLE TO US AT THIS
TIME, I MEAN WHAT DO WE KNOW
ABOUT HOW PROSECUTORS MAY PLAN
TO APPROACH THIS CASE WHEN IT
COMES TO CHARGES?
WELL, RIGHT NOW THERE HAVE BEEN
CHARGES I BELIEVE THERE WERE
SIX COUNTS OF MURDER AND ONE
COUNT OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND
SO THE HATE CRIMES ARE ACTUALLY
ENHANCERS SENTENCE ENHANCERS IF
YOU WILL.
AND SO THUS FAR THERE HASN'T
BEEN A CHARGE AND INTERESTINGLY
HONESTLY A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
RAISING THEIR EYEBROWS BASED ON
HOW THE POLICE TREATED
THE SITUATION.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING
LOOK, THE POLICE HUMANIZED THIS
SHOOTER WHEN THEY SAID HE HAD A
REALLY BAD DAY.
HE WAS AT THE END OF HIS ROPE
AND IT WAS IT'S FRUSTRATING TO
SOME TO SEE, YOU KNOW, A FOR
EXAMPLE, A WHITE SHOOTER WHO IS
TREATED, YOU KNOW, IN WAYS WITH
KID GLOVES WHEN YOU THAT'S NOT
THE CASE WITH A LOT OF OTHER
SITUATIONS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IN THIS
SCENARIO WHEN THIS GUY CLAIMS
HE HAD A SEX ADDICTION AND THAT
WAS WHY HE WENT AFTER THESE
FOLKS.
BUT I THINK IT SORT
OF UNDERSCORES THE NEGATIVE
STEREOTYPES OF ASIAN WOMEN AND
SORT OF HYPERSEXUAL IZING THEM
WHICH ACTUALLY DEHUMANIZES
THE ASIAN-AMERICAN WOMEN
COMPARED TO YOU KNOW, HOW SOME
SAY THE POLICE TREATED
THE SHOOTER HERE COMPLETELY
HUMANIZING HIM?
THAT'S PRETTY INTERESTING.
I HADN'T REALLY THOUGHT OF THAT
.
SO WHETHER IT'S CHARGED AS A
HATE CRIME OR NOT, STATISTICS
SHOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
IT.
THERE'S A BIG RISE IN VIOLENCE
TOWARD ASIAN-AMERICANS
NATIONWIDE.
SO DO YOU EXPECT ANY LAW
CHANGES BECAUSE OF THAT MAYBE
MORE HATE CRIME LAWS IN MORE
STATES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
WELL, I THINK THERE IS GOING TO
BE SOME CHANGES.
I MEAN CERTAINLY THIS DIALOG IS
IMPORTANT AND I KNOW SOME
PEOPLE ARE FEELING LIKE, YOU
KNOW, WE'RE BRINGING RACE INTO
IT AGAIN AND IT'S BECOMES WHITE
NOISE IN SOME RESPECTS BUT YOU
JUST CAN'T IGNORE THAT ASPECT.
I MEAN THIS SHOOTER TARGETED
BUSINESSES.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EMPLOY
ASIANS AND I JUST DON'T THINK
ONE CAN DISCONNECT THE VIOLENCE
FROM THOSE RACIAL STEREOTYPES.
AND SO I THINK THAT THERE IS
GOING TO BE A PUSH TO INCREASE
THESE THESE PENALTIES AND
CERTAINLY PROVING THEM BECAUSE
THE ISSUE HAS TO GO IT HAS TO
SHOW IT IN THE YOU KNOW,
KILLERS MINDSET THAT IT WAS
RACE OR THESE OTHER THINGS WERE
A PART OF .
AND SO FOR HIM TO SIMPLY SAY
WELL, IT WAS A SEX ADDICTION
AND I WAS SIMPLY TRYING TO RID
MYSELF OF THE TEMPTATION, SOME
ARE SAYING WELL IT WASN'T RACE
BASED.
BUT AGAIN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE STATISTICS AND YOU LOOK AT
THAT INDUSTRY AND YOU LOOK AT
WHAT BUSINESSES WERE TARGETED,
IT DOES APPEAR THAT THERE WAS
THIS KIND OF UNDERLYING
ELEMENT.
AND SO I THINK THERE ARE GOING
TO BE THERE'S GOING TO BE A
COURT THERE'S THERE IS A CALL
RIGHT NOW TO INCREASE THESE
PENALTIES AND TO PROSECUTE
THESE HATE CRIMES WHICH WILL
OBVIOUSLY GIVE US MORE
PRECEDENT AND AND MAKE IT
EASIER TO PROSECUTE HATE CRIMES
IN THE FUTURE.
THESE ARE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
THAT ARE BEING ASKED ALL ACROSS
THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.