>>BRUCE HAMILTON: THERE IS AN ALARMING INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF HATE CRIMES IN
AMERICA. THE MOST RECENT
NUMBERS REPORTED BY THE FBI
INDICATE 8263 HATE CRIMES
REPORTED IN THE U.S. LAST
YEAR. THE MOST IN 12 YEARS.
BUT SOME EXPERTS AND ADVOCACY
GROUPS SAY THE TRUE NUMBER IS
PROBABLY MUCH HIGHER. JOINING
ME ON THE MORNING SHOW, SARAH
AMMONS, THE FLORIDA REGIONAL
DIRECTOR FOR THE ANTI
DEFAMATION LEAGUE. GOOD
MORNING. GOOD MORNING. SO
THERE WAS RECENTLY A TOWN HALL
HOSTED BY THE FLORIDA HATE
CRIME COALITION. AND IT
STRESSED THE NEED TO UPDATE
FLORIDA’S HATE CRIME LAW. I
MENTIONED THE OVERALL NUMBER
OF HATE CRIME RISING IN
AMERICA. BUT THE MOST RECENT
DATA SHOWS THE NUMBER OF HATE
CRIMES BASED ON GENDER,
GENDER, IDENTITY AND
DISABILITY HAVE INCREASED A
DRAMATIC 509% IN THE PAST
DECADE. SO REALITY IS HERE IN
FLORIDA. MANY OF THE PEOPLE
WHO COMMIT THESE CRIMES DON’T
FACE HATE CRIME CHARGES BY.
>> SO FLORIDA’S HATE CRIME LAW
WAS ORIGINALLY PASSED IN THE
EARLY 90’S. THAT WAS ALMOST 30
YEARS SINCE THAT THERE’S
REALLY A NEED TO UPDATE OUR
CRIMES LEGISLATION TO INCLUDE
PROTECTIONS FOR PEOPLE BASED
ON THEIR GENDER, THEIR GENDER
IDENTITY OR AND OR PHYSICAL
CURRENTLY, OUR LAW DOES NOT
TREAT THESE INDIVIDUALS THE
SAME AND DOES NOT CHARGE HATE
CRIMES FOR THESE GROUPS IN THE
SAME WAY. AND IT’S DEFINITELY
TIME TO UPDATE OUR FLORIDA
LAW.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: HATE CRIMES
ARE MOTIVATED BY BIAS. SO THIS
PROPOSED LEGISLATION DOESN’T
CREATE ANY NEW CRIME. WHY IS
IT HIT A STUMBLING BLOCK AND
HOW DO YOU MOVE THINGS
FORWARD?
>> FRANKLY, I DON’T KNOW. THIS
IS A SIMPLE FACTS TO MAKE SURE
THAT ALL COMMUNITIES ARE
PROTECTED AGAINST HATE CRIMES.
WE ARE EXCITED THAT THIS YEAR
WE HAVE 2 AMAZING SPONSORS ARE
LEGISLATION THAT WE’VE BROUGHT
ON 12 ADDITIONAL CO SPONSORS
FOR LEGISLATION. AND WE THINK
THAT IT IS DEFINITELY TIME IN
FLORIDA LAW THAT WE MAKE SURE
THAT ALL GROUPS ARE PROTECTED.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: I LOOKED IT
UP IN THE FBI DEFINES A HATE
CRIME AS AN OFFENSE THAT IS
MOTIVATED, AT LEAST IN PART BY
A BIASED AGAINST THE VICTIM’S
RACE. RELIGION, DISABILITY,
ORIENTATION, ETHNICITY, GENDER
OR GENDER IDENTITY. WHY THEN
DOESN’T FLORIDA LAW FIT THAT
DEFINITION?
>>LAUREN VERNO: SO IN FLORIDA
LAW WAS PASSED IN THE EARLY.
THE EARLY 90’S IS ALMOST 30
YEARS AGO AND IT IS TIME FOR
US TO UPDATE OUR LAW. YOU
KNOW, OUR FLORIDA LAW DOES
CURRENTLY PROTECTS PEOPLE
BASED ON A VARIETY OF BACK
THEIR RACE OR ETHNICITY OR
RELIGION. BUT THERE ARE SOME
MAJOR HOLES IN THAT
LEGISLATION. AND THAT’S WHAT
THIS LEGISLATION THIS
LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS HOPING
TO UPDATE.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: DO PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THE HATE CRIMES
DON’T JUST AFFECT INDIVIDUALS
THAT THEY NEGATIVELY IMPACT
ENTIRE COMMUNITIES.
>> CRIMES ARE PERPETRATED NOT
AGAINST JUST ONE INDIVIDUAL.
THEY’RE NOT MEANT JUST TO
TARGET ONE INDIVIDUAL, BUT
REALLY TO INVOKE FEAR IN AN
ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AND I THINK
THAT’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT
THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR
LEGISLATION IS REPRESENTATIVES
AND THAT IT MAKE SURE THAT IT
IS INCLUSIVE TO PROTECT ALL
COMMUNITIES BECAUSE THESE
COMMUNITIES WHEN A DIFFERENT
COMMUNITY IS TARGETED, WHAT
WHAT A CRIME IS PERPETUATED IN
A CERTAIN COMMUNITY. THAT FEAR
ALSO LEADS THROUGHOUT THAT
ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND MAKES IT
DIFFICULT FOR INDIVIDUALS TO
GO ABOUT THEIR DAY-TO-DAY
EXPERIENCES. SO THAT SAID, WE
SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: WHEN IT
COMES TO HATE AGAINST ASIAN
AMERICANS, WITH THE EMERGENCE
OF A OF COVID. SO HAVE TO
WONDER ABOUT OF SOME TIMES THE
LEGAL SYSTEM IS BLIND TO SOME
OF THE HATE CRIMES THAT COME
BEFORE THE BENCH THESE DAYS.
THERE’S A FEAR AMONG THE MAJOR
SEGMENT OF AMERICA. DO WORRY
THAT WILL BECOME A NATION
DESTINED FOR TOO MANY TO LIVE
IN FEAR UNLESS THINGS CHANGE.
>> THINGS ABSOLUTELY NEED TO
CHANGE. AND PART OF THIS
LEGISLATION IS MAKING SURE
THAT COMMUNITIES FEEL AS OF
CRIMES AGAINST THEM ARE TAKEN
SERIOUSLY IN OUR LEGISLATION.
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A MAJOR
ISSUE WITH UNDERREPORTING WITH
COMMUNITIES THINKING THAT IF
THEY REPORTED HATE CRIME, THAT
IT WON’T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
AND AN UPDATE TO OUR
LEGISLATION DEFINITELY LETS US
KNOW AND LETS THESE
COMMUNITIES KNOW THAT THEIR
HATE CRIMES ARE GOING TO BE
TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND IS ONE
PIECE OF THE PUZZLE AND
HELPING US COLLECT DATA ON
HATE CRIMES THAT ARE HAPPENING
IN COMMUNITIES SO WE CAN MORE
EFFECTIVELY SOLVE THESE
PROBLEMS.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: SIMPLE. YES
OR NO LEGISLATORS MEETING
JANUARY. ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC?
>> YES, YOU KNOW, WE’VE HAD
SOME MAJOR TRACTION THIS
LEGISLATIVE SESSION ALREADY
WITH 12 CO SPONSORS COMING ON
BOARD TO SUPPORT THIS
LEGISLATION. AND WE URGE ALL
OF OUR LEGISLATORS TO CONSIDER
ADDING THEIR NAMES AND THEIR
SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION AND
ALSO TO OUR COMMUNITY. PLEASE
BE IN TOUCH WITH YOUR
LEGISLATORS. LET THEM KNOW
THAT THIS LEGISLATION IS
IMPORTANT TO YOU AND YOU’D