Due to the recent chill of our political climate, there have been multiple incidents that have been astounding to discover. Most of these incidents have been crimes performed by various members of varying political parties.

Of the few more horrendous crimes, labels have been placed — labels referring to hate crimes. Although many of the actions performed may be full of hate and discrimination, not all can be considered hate crimes.

It is important to be aware of our rights and the rights of others. It is more important to understand the accusations we place upon one another to avoid creating fear by spreading false truths. We must be properly educated in what constitutes a hate crime before we claim or argue any crimes to fall underneath the definition. How we orient ourselves in public places requires respect and informed authority. We must, therefore, do the necessary research.

Federal Hate Crime Legislation currently protects those targeted for their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity or color. The laws derived from it vary state by state. In Oregon, we have what is known as the Intimidation Law. This law refers to a crime that was specifically committed by a person, or persons, who threatened to cause physical injury or caused physical injury to someone because of their race, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national origin or color or their perception of such. There are two degrees to this crime: the first degree, which is considered a Class C felony, and the second degree, which is considered a Class A misdemeanor.  

Becoming aware of these details allows us to avoid widespread argument, prejudice and general negativity. The recent occasions of such debated crimes have brought about fear and animosity into the nation, further dividing our already split mindsets. Much of this talk was unsupported and only heightened the amount of tension.

A recent offense of this common mistake is the argument concerning the Chicago Four. Their story quickly spread as the crime they committed was live streamed on Facebook by one of the females in the video. The victim (a young white male) was known to be mentally disabled and the Chicago Four were heard shouting obscenities concerning white people and Donald Trump during the video. This was all level ground for the hate crime charge.

It appeared that there was much controversy on the subject. Many argued for the hate crime charge and many argued against it. But the amount of drama that this debate brought up only damaged our ability to not only think with an open mind, but have the humility to address inequality in a straightforward manner and the effects that it has brought to our nation.

Many now find themselves overanalyzing their communities to ensure the safety of their families as a result. This fear of impending violence has been generated by the amount of attention and disagreement that has erupted from this groundless talk. Even our beliefs of the functions in our society have been placed in question, which could have been avoided had there been sound evidence to original claims.

If we hope to mend the disparity that has been set upon this country, if we hope to bring equality into our foundational institutions, we must be willing to accept truth and fact over opinion. We must be able to keep our judgment of others unclouded by prejudice and hate.

There is usually a clear answer in every circumstance that hate crime has been in question, and the debate comes from those who do not take the time to research the definition. By making the effort and the decision to educate one’s self we are applying objectivity and gaining informational authority, avoiding whatever drama is sure to ensue without it.

It is recognizably difficult to approach such horrific matters objectively as it is not easy to avoid implicit bias but it is possible and we, as a society, owe it to each other to fight for equal justice, as it is so deserved.

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