Hate crime as "prank" when committed by blacks

An unpopular truth

[Reprinted from Issues & Views December 30, 2002]

Certainly, no genius was necessary to predict the inevitable abuses that would stem from "hate crime" laws [see I&V section]. Wherever preferred groups are given special status and protection, and essentially told by society that crimes against them take on greater meaning than crimes against other citizens, you have a tailor-made set-up for members of the same group to work out their grievances against one another.

Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin, in "Hate crime hoax at Ole Miss" (12/18/02), documents just such a "hate crime," that took place in November at the University of Mississippi. One morning, in the wee hours, several black students wandered the halls of a dorm, scrawling anti-black vulgarities on the doors of other black students and, using chalk, drew on walls and doors, that spanned three floors, a tree with a noose and a hanging figure in it. Their aim, of course, was to blame these desecrations on white students. Writes Malkin:

The element of racial animus cloaks the hate crime hoax with a false sense of legitimacy. It's a manipulative attempt to exploit old tensions and deflect suspicion from the actual perpetrators.

At the time the racist vandalism appeared, Ole Miss was commemorating the 40th anniversary of desegregation of its classrooms. Local and national observers immediately assumed the vandals were white. Black students organized a "Say No to Racism" march and demanded more protection against white-on-black harassment. They blasted the school's president for not apologizing quickly enough for the racial slurs. The school's "Minority Affairs" director demanded that the university establish "programs and procedures" to ensure racial sensitivity and prevent hate crimes. The "Institute for Racial Reconciliation" and the "Committee On Sensitivity and Respect" convened meetings. Activists called for criminally prosecuting the perpetrators under state felony laws or federal hate crime statutes.

But now that the race of the suspects has been revealed, some are seeking to minimize the crime as a "prank." The college will not be bringing criminal charges against the trio. Instead, each suspect faces charges involving five violations of the student code of conduct -- not only for the racially explosive vandalism, but also for allegedly making false and misleading statements to investigators. . . .

If the attackers had been white, they faced possible federal prison time. Because the suspects are black, the most serious consequence they face is expulsion. Welcome to equal treatment under the law, 2002-style.

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