David Neiwert: A Little Talk

Sunday, May 15, 2005

I mentioned earlier that I was flying down to Davis, California, last week to give a talk on hate crimes for a local community organization. Jeff Hudson at the Davis Enterprise did a pretty thorough report. I thought this part was worth pointing out:
One widely held myth, he said, is that "hate crimes are commonly committed by 'skinheads' or members of so-called hate groups."

"It's simply not true," Neiwert said, adding that "in reality, only 6 or 7 percent (of hate crimes) are committed by members of an organized hate group. The average (person who commits a hate crime) is a 15-year-old to 19-year-old white male, in every respect an average member of the community. He may have some police contact in his background, or may not. He may have a violent background, or may not."

Very often, communities view young men who are charged with hate crimes as "someone I've known since the third grade. He doesn't wear tattoos or leather. So it's not a hate crime," Neiwert said.