by Howard P. Berkowitz

About the author: Howard P. Berkowitz is national chairman of the Anti- Defamation League, an organization dedicated to preventing racial and ethnic prejudice.

Hate crimes, whether directed against one person or many, are particularly destructive in the way they spread feelings of hurt, anxiety and fear. A hate crime is more than an attack on an individual. It is an assault on an entire community. And for this reason alone it is important to send a message that criminals who commit bias crimes will pay the price.

Critics of hate-crimes legislation have used colorful prose to dismiss the laws as “identity politics” and “theatrical empathy,” arguing the statutes are a strong- handed attempt to impose a politically correct ideology and an affront to basic constitutional rights.

A Serious Problem