Hate Crimes and Prejudice Reduction Initiatives
Adopted at the in 1994
WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors promulgated its National Action Plan to Combat Violent Crime in December, 1993; and
WHEREAS, the Task Force of Mayors and Police Chiefs that prepared the Action Plan recommended expanding violence reduction and conflict resolution programs and urged the federal government to assist local governments by collecting information on successful programs and by funding replication of these initiatives as part of a long term crime reduction strategy; and
WHEREAS, ignorance, misunderstandings, cultural differences and miscommunications lead to conflict; and
WHEREAS, the American Psychological Association in its landmark 1993 report, Violence and Youth: Psychology?s Response, described the role of prejudice and discrimination in fostering social and psychological difficulties that can lead to violence and asserted that education programs that reduce prejudice and hostility are integral components of plans to address youth violence; and
WHEREAS, over the past several months, racist, anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, and homophobic speeches have been made principally on college campuses, which have received considerable attention in the national news media; and
WHEREAS, hate crimes are designed to intimidate victims and other members of the victim?s community and may have a special emotional and psychological impact on the victim and his or her community, exacerbate racial, religious or ethnic tensions, and lead to reprisals by others in the community; and
WHEREAS, there is a need for tougher laws and more vigorous enforcement to deter and redress violence motivated by bigotry; and
WHEREAS, the Hate Crime Statistics Act directs the U.S. Attorney General to acquire data about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity; and
WHEREAS, the first three years of education and outreach about the Hate Crime Statistics Act by the Federal Bureau of Investigation have revealed the act to be a tangible, practical tool to enhance police-community relations, to help police departments allocate resources and craft crime prevention strategies; and
WHEREAS, the FBI has documented 12,000 hate crime incidents reported from almost 6,200 law enforcement agencies and 42 states and the District of Columbia over the initial two years of data collection under the HCSA; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of specifically-focused departmental policies and procedures for addressing hate violence is a proactive step which will send a strong message to victims and would-be perpetrators that hate crimes are not pranks and that police officials take them seriously; and
WHEREAS, penalty-enhancement hate crime statutes have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court?s June, 1993 unanimous decision in Wisconsin v. Mitchell.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED , that the U.S. Conference of Mayors encourages the development and funding of community-based programs designed to help people develop respect for cultural diversity and acceptance of cultural differences, including anti-prejudice education initiatives, like the Anti-Defamation League?s "A World of Difference" program, for public and private schools, in the corporate sector, and on college campuses; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon Mayors to exercise leadership in actively opposing, in word and deed, expressions of racism, anti-Catholicism, anti- Semitism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon all Mayors to exercise leadership in addressing hate crimes in their communities -- including pressing for enactment and vigorous enforcement of penalty-enhancement hate crime laws, and directing local police departments to participate fully in the Hate Crime Statistics Act?s data collection mandate; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges municipalities to establish an integrated hate crime response network, including liaisons to local prosecutors, city or county human rights commissions, human relations groups, and private victim advocacy organizations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges municipalities and each police department to adopt a written policy to effectively respond to hate violence in a priority manner; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges the Federal Bureau of Investigation to continue and expand its outreach and education programs for local police officers on identifying, reporting, and responding to hate crimes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors will continue to work with Congress, the FBI, with public officials, and with the law enforcement community to ensure that gains in public awareness and improved public response to hate violence continue -- and that the number of law enforcement agencies participating in the FBI?s HCSA program expands.