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    pre-emptive sighBrendan O'Connor
    6/06/16 11:10am

    Does it involve extra work? Yes? Does it possibly paint local authorities in a bad light? Yes? Is there any punishment for not doing it? No?

    There’s your problem.

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      helgaperezpre-emptive sigh
      6/06/16 11:49am

      I think reporting hate crimes, testing rape kits (with the victim’s permission), and entering information into ViCAP should all be mandatory. Data is important in catching criminals. There are probably other procedures that could greatly improve law enforcement efficiency, but I think those three are a good start. One of the problems in improving policing is that good policing (like good schools or good infrastructure) costs money. Conservatives don’t want to spend money on anything, and liberals don’t trust police departments will use additional funds appropriately.

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      Nicohelgaperez
      6/06/16 12:56pm

      "Conservatives don’t want to spend money on anything, and liberals don’t trust police departments will use additional funds appropriately." I feel like this is one of the most true statements I've ever heard, and you could fill in "police departments" with basically any public program.


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    SapphireBrendan O'Connor
    6/06/16 11:26am

    The whole “close your eyes to make it go away” is no longer a victimless practice. It sends two messages: to those who do the crime, the message says "Society ok with this" and to the victims, it says "You do not matter." Those that prey on others now rely on that “look away” mentality people have to commit their crimes face zero consequences. I understand that it's ugly and the gut reaction is to not get involved but until more people do get involved its only going to get uglier.

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      WaitIThoughtThisWasABernerAccountSapphire
      6/06/16 11:46am

      I believe you may be confused... these people were tried and convicted of hate crimes. Hardly zero consequences for these people, and certainly nobody saying they’re “ok with it".

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      Ole Slew FootSapphire
      6/06/16 12:35pm

      The perpetrators are still being charged with hate crimes. The charges are just not being reported to the FBI. Nobody is telling them that society is okay with what they do.

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    curiousBrendan O'Connor
    6/06/16 11:13am

    They’re renegade cops, loose cannons who don’t play by the rules. Out on the mean streets where the action is. And anyway....O’Shaughnessy said he would take care of the paperwork, Sarge!

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      Ed Spockcurious
      6/06/16 11:18am

      If I’ve learned anything from the “Dirty Harry” films, it’s that constantly breaking the rules and pissing off your superiors not only gets results, but it also earns you a grudging respect from your bosses and provides you with many opportunities to further your career.

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      Vox PopulistEd Spock
      6/06/16 11:29am

      His bosses were just worried that he would go all “make my day, asshole!” and “do you feel lucky, punk?” on their asses too, which is why they just stayed out of his way.

      Remember that one time he let one of the crooked cops drive away in his own car, only to blow it up? Now that’s cold.

      No boss wants to be bossed around and end up like McBain’s boss.

      “That makes two of us.”

      In real life of course, his ass would have been McNultied quickly.

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    Honey Bee's Roundhouse KickBrendan O'Connor
    6/06/16 11:12am

    Local departments file reports voluntarily, although they are encouraged to submit reports even if they list zero hate crimes.

    And herein lies the problem. If we were actually serious about this then the submission of reports on hate crimes would be compulsory. Apparently this country is as serious about keeping track of hate crimes as it is keeping track of civilian killings by police officers; that is to say not very serious at all.

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      AyzmoHoney Bee's Roundhouse Kick
      6/06/16 11:18am

      The problem is that nobody in power actually wants it to be required.

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      Honey Bee's Roundhouse KickAyzmo
      6/06/16 11:21am

      Of course not. Then they might actually have to do more than pay lip service and that would require confronting some rather ugly truths about our institutions and clearly those in power aren’t at all interested in that.

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    Dave Brendan O'Connor
    6/06/16 11:17am

    I mean if a tree falls in a forest because it was cut down to crush the house of a minority because their white neighbor hates them, and and no local cop reports it—was there even a CRIME? These kind of philosophical issues are so hard to deal with.

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      opiumsmabytchDave
      6/06/16 11:32am

      Arrest the tree. Fucking leafer bastard.

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    AnastraceBrendan O'Connor
    6/06/16 11:44am

    Oh man, it’s voluntary? That is beyond fucked up. There is a failure to even pursue a lot of crimes as hate crimes, and then the districts can report them at their discretion? Who the hell thought this is a good system?

    As for the bit about police could or would not help them? I know that all too fucking well. When I was raped, the police basically gave me the run around, accussed me of being a sex worker, then closed it out soon after with no explanation. Being a minority (in my case LGBTQ) basically means police MAY treat your crime as a hate crime, or they may more likely just make it go away.

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      Montana MattAnastrace
      6/06/16 3:23pm

      The federal government can’t constitutionally compel state or local governments into enforcing their laws. They can prevent state or local governments from certain actions, but they can’t compel active enforcement.

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      AnastraceMontana Matt
      6/06/16 3:58pm

      That is true under Printz, however the other cut of the nullication law is that let’s say that congress passes a law mandating the turn over of this data, and puts let’s say some sort of penalty on noncompliance, nullification may prevent the state from enforcing the law, but doesn’t shield them from federal penalties.

      Nullification law is...well...fucked up. I mean, who was it...President Jackson I think who had said it was treason, which is sort of understandable, and undefendable at the same time.

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    AcridsheepBrendan O'Connor
    6/06/16 1:31pm

    Cue the haters and the insults to my intellect, but I never really grasped the idea behind a hate crime anyway. In order to commit a crime against another person, particularly the felonious kind of crime to which this additional standard is eligible to be prescribed, already requires some kind of basic hatred.

    I think these laws are stupid.

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      SilentTrumpSupporterBrendan O'Connor
      6/06/16 11:07am

      My waitress at the diner spilled some of my coffee onto my plate.

      #hatecrimes

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        Hatless Suspect v5.0SilentTrumpSupporter
        6/06/16 11:11am

        #platecrimes seems more appropriate.

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        Hip Brooklyn StereotypeHatless Suspect v5.0
        6/06/16 11:13am

        STS lobbed a real meatball there!

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      Carrie MathisonBrendan O'Connor
      6/06/16 11:59am

      “Many victims of hate crimes, however, also do not report them—either out of fear of reprisals or that “police could not or would not help,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.”

      Turns out, many of them aren't wrong!

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        freaks go all the wayBrendan O'Connor
        6/06/16 11:55am

        A few weeks ago a teen in my town went on a killing spree specifically targeting men of color in an imitation of The Purge. Not one source has even suggested that the killings were hate crimes even though the kid literally wrote that he was out to kill black people and bragged specifically about doing just that (he also killed a Latino man). We don’t even have hate crime laws here (in Indiana). A bill was shot down in February, I think, because legislators here are more worried about a hate crime law penalizing people for the beliefs that led them to commit the crime than they are about the victims of such crimes being targeted because of their identity. I fucking hate this state.

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