Washington Hate Crime Bill Advances Through House Committee

A Washington House committee voted to advance a bill that would broaden the definition of a hate crime in the state, and remarks by a ranking committee members indicate it could include non-violent acts or speech. House Bill 1052 sponsored by Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, would expand what constitutes a hate crime to include incidents where the perpetrator did so “in part or the whole” due to a person’s perceived identity. Although existing laws concerns acts of violence or destruction of property, Darya Farivar, D-Seattle, recounted a story prior to the committee’s Thursday vote where she witnessed a transit rider berate a fellow rider for wearing hijab, saying the rider was “yelling and kicking and saying to this woman, ‘I'm a Christian, you b---h!’” “The interaction very clearly to me indicated that this would be a hate crime, and it was not because of how strict our laws are around this,” she told colleagues.

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Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_96c2967e-d444-11ef-b397-0f9fc918d5b2.html

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