Recent Homicide of James Craig Anderson & Hate Crime

A summer murder of a black man by white teenagers in Jackson, MS came to national attention in late July and August after the video of the vehicular homicide was made public. By all accounts there is little evidence to suggest this was not a racially motivated crime. The two news articles cited above provide excellent accounts of the homicide. Dedmon pled not guilty and he absolutely is entitled to due process. The fact of the matter is that all accounts point to Dedmon not only committing the crime (it's on video) but him also initiating the murder by encouraging his friends to leave the party they were at saying, "Let's go fuck with some niggers." If this incident doesn't fit the definition of a hate crime then I don't know what does.

When I first began reading about the case over the summer I groaned. I was very disheartened this had to happen in Mississippi of all places. Mostly, though, I was shocked that a group of teenagers could have the psychological mindset to do something like that. It isn't as difficult to imagine one individual being bigoted enough to commit a hate crime. But I haven't read anywhere that anyone at the party (several of whom followed Dedmon into Jackson on his "hunt") tried to stop him. I feel overwhelmed when I think of how these types of incidents can still happen in today's society. I was raised in the Mississippi Delta, and yes I had and still have friends there who I would have to say are racist, but I can never imagine any of them taking it to that level.

There is something about a crime like this that inspires a sense of disgust and outrage. When a crime is committed because of ethnicity, religion, or sexuality there is something intrinsic about those crimes that makes them seem worse than if the crime was instigated by another motivation. I have heard some compelling arguments, however, that hate crimes should not carrier a higher or more severe penalty than a crime of the same magnitude that wasn't instigated by reasons based on ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. I am inclined to say that hate crimes do deserve higher penalties because of the danger and instability they pose to society. What is your opinion on hate crimes? Perhaps more controversially, do you think hate crimes should apply to whites as well? If a crime against a white person is racially motivated should the defendant be subject to charges under federal hate crime statutes?