National organization urges passage of hate crimes bill
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- December
- 16
The killings of two Ecuadorean immigrants on Long Island and last week in Brooklyn, has prompted a national organization to call for the passage of a hate crimes bill.
The National Council of La Raza, together with the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda on Capitol Hill, are urging Congress and the new administration under Barack Obama to prioritize “Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.”
The hate crimes bill, otherwise known as the Matthew Shepard Act, gives the justice department the power to assist state and local jurisdictions in cases of violent crimes motivated by bias and resulting in death or severe bodily injury.
This is what La Raza CEO and President Janet Murguia said about the topic:
President-Elect Obama and the new Congress should not waste any time in immediately passing the ‘Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act’ so that more lives are not lost in senseless attacks. The wave of hate unleashed by the polarized debate over immigration has led to an increase in violence and hate groups targeting Latinos. These recent deaths are a direct outcome of the anger and hatred spurred on by people who mischaracterize all Latinos and the institutions that serve them as a threat to our country.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 12:11 pm by Marcela Rojas.
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