House Passes Hate Crimes Bill
Federal Law Strengthens Law Enforcement's Prosecution of Hate Crimes
Charleston -- Fairness West Virginia the statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization - hails yesterday's bipartisan vote of 249-175 in the U.S. House passing the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known in the U.S. Senate as the Matthew Shepard Act.
"Yesterday's vote moves us closer to ending hate motivated violence" said Fairness Board President Stephen Skinner. "Hate crimes are simply unacceptable. This bill gives law enforcement tools needed to fight hate crimes."
"We thank Representatives Rahall and Mollohan for voting against hate and standing up to the blatant lies that were being told about the bill. I am personally embarrassed that Representative Capito, who claims to be a moderate, voted against this bipartisan effort. She clearly forgets that just ten years ago, J.R. Warren was brutally murdered in Marion County just because he was gay."
President Obama called for passage in the House and urged the Senate to follow. More than 300 law enforcement, civil rights and religious organizations supported the bill.
Fairness West Virginia mobilized its members to lobby on the bill. Additionally, Skinner traveled to Capitol Hill to personally reach out to the West Virginia delegation. Fairness used its internal email list from its website fairnesswv.org and its Facebook group to call its supporters to action.
The bill will give the Justice Department power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It will allow the Justice Department to aid state and local jurisdictions by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of violent crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury that were motivated by bias.
Launched this year, Fairness West Virginia is the state's civil rights organization fighting for fair treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender West Virginians and has attracted over 2000 people to sign up at its website fairnesswv.org and Facebook group.
