Dealing With Hate Crimes

“Hate Crimes--the Unleashed Demons” is an apt title for your Sept. 8 editorial urging that we “renew our stand against prejudice.” But to “stand” is not enough. Nor, I regret to say, can education and law that practitioners are urged to use to fight bigotry--that’s the correct word for hate, not prejudice--turn the tide. We have to deal with the root causes.

Hate grows when self-worth is lost and people no longer believe in the high ideals basic to all religions; when democracy can’t fulfill its promise of equal opportunity, treatment and justice; when we don’t prepare people by teaching self-interest is best served by extending a hand of friendship and love--the latter, the greatest hunger of all.

Failure to nourish bodies and minds, and the need for food and jobs, education and example are the vacant spaces that when filled can help make life livable and meaningful.

Is this a utopian dream? As one who was a professional in this field, I believe in laws that remove hate speech, advocacy of bodily harm and group libel, because of differences, from the safeguards of absolute free speech.

Our Bill of Rights, Constitution, the Genocide and Human Rights treaties make human rights the basic right to be guaranteed and protected. Without it, we will always lose the battle to “unleashed demons.”

HYMAN HAVES

Pacific Palisades