English Preventing Hate Crime
amount of money designed to punish
•
Preventing
California State Board of Control
that person and to deter future viola-
Victims of Violent Crime Unit
tions of these laws. The court also
Telephone: 1-800-777-9229
may issue a restraining order or other
• Your local District Attorney’s Victim/
Hate Crime
type of injunctive order to protect you
Witness Program (County listing in the
from further harm, and may order the
telephone book)
person who has harmed you to pay
• The United States Attorney’s Office
your attorney’s fees if you have hired
Vi
V ct
c itm/
m Witness Assistance Program in
an attorney.
your district (Federal listing in the
telephone book)
What can you and your
• United States Department of Justice,
community do?
Community Relations Services (Federal
listing in the telephone book)
• Speak out against hate and intolerance.
• Support the victims by holding com-
munity ral ies and offering support and
For further information on this program
assistance to the victim.
and other crime prevention material,
• Encourage public officials to state their
write to:
opposition to hate crimes.
• Establish a hate crime network that
Crime and Violence Prevention Center
includes law enforcement, local govern-
California Attorney General’s Office
ment, schools, religious organizations
P.O. Box 944255
and community-based organizations
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
that immediately responds to a hate
www.safestate.org
crime when it occurs and promotes
prevention and awareness.
This publication can be downloaded from
www.safestate.org/publications
How To Obtain Assistance
This publication is also available in:
Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Hindi, Korean,
If you have been the victim of a hate
Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese
crime, the fol owing resources may be of
assistance to you:
• California Attorney General’s Office of
Victims’ Services
Telephone: (877) 433-9069
• State of California - Department of
Fair Employment and Housing
Telephone: 1-800-884-1684
TTY: 1-800-700-2320
Crime and Violence Prevention Center
California Attorney General’s Office
B13–9119
10/06
“Hate Crimes are among the most
with the civil rights of others. If this type of
Basic Clues
dehumanizing of crimes because the
behavior escalates to threats being made or
The fol owing list indicates signs that a
perpetrator views his or her victim as
carried out against a person or property,
hate crime may have been committed:
lacking full human worth due to his
then it would be classified as a hate crime.
• Perception of the victim or witness that
or her skin color, language, religion,
he/she was selected by the perpetrator
se
s x
e u
x a
u l
a o
A hate crime is a criminal act or attempted
r
o i
r entation, or disability. In
because of his or her membership in a
criminal act committed against a victim or
addition, a hate crime impacts the
protected class.
his, her, or its property because the victim is,
entire group to which the victim
•
or is perceived to be a member of a protected
Written or oral comments of the perpe-
belongs,
trator that may indicate a bias.
spreading concern through-
class. (A victim can include an entity or
•
out
Date of incident coincides with a day
the community.”
group.)
that is of significance to the victim’s
California Attorney
protected class.
Hate crimes should be reported to the pro-
General’s Office
• Differences between the race or
per authorities, such as your local police or
religion, for example, of the victim and
sheriff’s department. If these hate crimes
the perpetrator.
Hate Crimes in California
are not reported to law enforcement, the
• Organized hate group activity in the
perpetrators will continue to act on their
area.
In California, you can be a victim of a hate
beliefs and will continue to pose a threat
crime if you have been targeted because of
to society.
Services Available to
your race or ethnicity, nationality, religion,
gender, sexual orientation, physical or
Hate Crime Victims
Hate Crime Victims
mental disability or your association with a
• You have certain rights under the
person or group with one of more of these
If you suspect you are a victim of a hate
California Constitution’s Victim’s Bill of
crime, you should:
“real” or “perceived” characteristics.
Rights. For example, you may be
• Call the police or sheriff’s department
entitled to information about the
immediately.
It is important to be able to differentiate
prosecution of the perpetrator, and have
• Obtain medical attention (if needed).
between hate incidents and hate crimes.
the right to present a victim impact
• Write down the exact words that were
statement at the time of sentencing.
spoken and any other information that
A hate incident is an action or behavior
•
may be of value.
You may be entitled to restitution for
that is motivated by hate, but is protected
any loss, damage or injury that you
• Save any evidence (graffiti, egg shel s,
by the First Amendment right to freedom
may incur.
writing on victim’s vehicle). Do not remove
of expression. Examples of hate incidents
•
any evidence. Wait until law enforcement
You are also protected under the Ralph
can include name cal ing, epithets, distri-
Act and the Bane Act. Under these
officers respond and take photographs.
bution of hate material in public places,
laws, a court may award money to you.
• Get the name(s), address(es), and telephone
and the display of offensive hate-motivated
The court may require the person who
number(s) of other victims and witnesses.
material on one’s property. The freedoms
has violated your rights to pay a civil
• If possible, get a description of the perpe-
guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, such
penalty ($25,000) to you, money to
trator and perpetrator’s vehicle.
as the freedom of speech, allow hateful
compensate you for the actual harm
• Call community-based organizations in
rhetoric as long as it does not interfere
you have suffered, and/or an additional
your area that respond to hate crimes.
