America has had its share of hate crimes in the past, but in the past week of American history, there have been not one, not two, but three total hate crimes. The crimes range from the shooting of two innocent people to mailed bombs to the mass shooting in a synagogue. These all show that it's necessary for Georgia, one of the few states lacking hate crime legislation, to pass the hate crime bill being voted on by Georgia's legislators this November.
The first hate crime that took place this week was at a Kroger in Kentucky where two African Americans were shot for no reason. Both of the victims were innocent and were simply buying items for themselves.
The second hate crime involved various packages sent through the mail. These packages, 14 in total, were sent to widely known figures, such as George Soros and former CIA Director John Brennan. Even though none of these bombs actually went off, all of them were real; therefore, it was a stressful and sensitive time.
However, the mailed bombs and killing of two innocent people does not seem to satisfy those who agree with these actions as a way to change the country to make it, "great again." To top it off, a mass shooting took place at a Pittsburgh synagogue. The mass shooting caused the death of 11 people, but thousands are hurting emotionally and mentally.
Even though the suspects who caused these dreadful events have been caught, it still feels as if America is not safe. Especially since President Trump said "This is a case where if they had an armed guard inside they may have been able to stop him immediately, maybe there would have been nobody killed, except for him maybe." However, when you think about it, a synagogue is like a church or a temple. It is a place where people should feel safe.
How are you supposed to feel safe if there is an armed guard outside?
If you were to actually think about all of this, the three states affected actually have hate crime laws that protect their citizens from hate crimes. However, imagine a hate crime happening in a state like Georgia that does not even have laws against hate crimes, so pretty much anyone can commit any hate crime against you legally. Due to this, in Georgia, anyone can legally do anything against a racial group. Even though there have been hate crimes in Georgia, most have not been documented because there isn't actually a statute for the prosecution to use.
In all three hate crime cases mentioned above, it is completely possible that the suspects would get away with what they did because there would be nothing that the prosecution would be able to use against them. This is not a principle that should be there. Hate crime laws are necessary to ensure the safety of all citizens of the state.
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This proves that it is necessary for everyone who can vote to go out to the polls on Nov. 6. This is for the simple reason to vote in people who will support hate crime legislation as a step towards stopping hate crimes all over the nation. It especially needs to be a law in the states where it already is not, like Georgia.
