Hate Crimes

Re “Mislabeling Hides Extent of Hate Crimes,” Aug. 23: The logic behind passing laws against “hate crimes” is that they are crimes against society rather than individuals, and in an effort to reduce these crimes we pass new laws that enhance existing penalties by adding years to a sentence, limiting parole or elevating misdemeanors into felonies. While I believe that people who commit heinous crimes should be punished severely, I have a problem with compound laws that seek to penalize our state of mind. I particularly have a problem with misdemeanors that become felonies simply because of the mind-set of the perpetrator.

The dragging death of a black man in Texas was horrible and the killers deserve the death penalty for their crime. But the crime isn’t any more or less heinous because the killers were white supremacists. We can and should increase penalties against violent crime, but because hate crimes are nearly impossible to prosecute (as the 13 convictions out of 1,800 cases last year in California prove), we should abandon these laws and concentrate on punishing acts, not thoughts.

LIONEL DE LEON

Garden Grove