Congressional Digest

Excerpt

(Excerpted from Congressional Digest, June 2007)
Hate crimes — acts of violence or intimidation against
people or property motivated by bias against an identifiable
social group — are as old as human history. In the United States, the most notorious
hate crimes have involved the lynch mobs and cross
burnings by the Ku Klux Klan, spray painting of swastikas,
and assaults on homosexuals.
Current Federal law covers the use or threat of force based on race, religion,
color, or national origin, but applies only when victims are
engaged in certain federally protected activities, such as attending
school or …