Louisiana’s hate-crime protections now cover law enforcement and first responders. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the legislation on Thursday after it had passed easily in the Republican-controlled Legislature, NPR’s Debbie Elliott reports.
People convicted of intentionally targeting police officers, firefighters or emergency medical crews will now face stricter penalties — as one would for targeting someone for race or gender, The Two-Way has reported. Other protected classes in the state are age, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, national origin and ancestry.
“Coming from a family of law enforcement officers, I have great respect for the work that they do and the risks they take to ensure our safety,” the governor, a Democrat, said in a statement. “The men and women who put their lives on the line every day, often under very dangerous circumstances are true heroes and they deserve every protection that we can give them. They serve and protect our communities and our families. The overarching message is that hate crimes will not be tolerated in Louisiana.”
The law is a win for the so-called Blue Lives Matter movement, which advocates for law enforcement and is a response to Black Lives Matter — a movement critical of policing in minority communities.
While supporters of the legislation say there is increased hostility against law enforcement nationwide, crime statistics actually show an overall decline in officer killings.
In the aftermath of the church shooting in Charleston, S.C., for which suspect Dylann Roof faces multiple hate crime charges, NPR’s James Doubek took a look at theeffectiveness of hate-crime laws.
Michael Bronski, co-author of Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture and Politics, told James that hate-crime laws “essentially come down to feel-good laws.”
“I think part of what they do is that they actually misdirect us from looking at much deeper issues,” the media studies professor said. “Racism is a problem, homophobia is a problem, violence against immigrants is a problem … so we end up passing these laws and saying, ‘Look at this, we’re actually doing something.’ ”
The Anti-Defamation League, an advocate for the laws, has said moves like Louisiana’s may ultimately “dilute” hate-crime legislation — opening the doors to adding protections for even more categories.
Funny how the cops don’t get the irony of all this
Why would you be hated?
Why would anyone want to do anything nefarious to you ?
Couldn’t have anything to do with your collective actions as thugs , nahhh
Seems to me this bill is an admition of what their own actions can bring upon themselves
And don’t fool yourselves , they added “first responders ” as an effort to gain acceptance
But last time I checked EMT’s Firemen and emergency types arnt the ones out murdering under color of law , or beating the snot and life out of someone for jaywalking or selling loose cigarettes etc
All these “laws” won’t protect them when the SHTF.
Or their families, I try to get this across to people who think they are safe or hidden in some gov bunker with mine fields and automated .50cal’s.
People know what your husband or wife does working for the police so you better be ready that house is going up like a tinder box and they plan to have you with your children inside when it happens. Then they will lay in wait for the little piggy to come home for the ambush. If they make it home in the first place that is.
Personally, I hope people won’t target children, even if they belong to pigs. That wouldn’t be right — children can’t help who their parents are. I think it was Nietzsche who said, “He fights against monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster.”
That said, I would lose no sleep if someone were to go after pigs’ spouses when the pigs themselves were unavailable. They freely chose to marry them and are presumably among the pigs’ strongest supporters.
I agree, BMF. I was advocating the ethnic cleansing of Mexicans when I was angry, but I’m not going to shoot any kids.
Although I am on the same page as both of you do not take the statement as an attack personally rather a view that most do not even consider because of its taboo nature in some parts of the world if not all and viewed as extremely vile.
The ethnic cleansing of any group is genocide. So who will be next after mexicans; blacks, reds, yellows, greens, blues or how about whites?
Now if you are in this country illegally gtfo its not about an ethnic group its about law regardless of your national origin and or ethnic origins. Focusing on a single group is neglecting all the others who happen to sneak into the country illegally.
So shooting women is “ok” but no kids? That’s worse than the mob who actually have ethics.
What do you think those “children” are going to do once they grow up and find out who took mommy or daddy out?
Are they going to say to themselves “Mom and or dad were wrong in treating the laws and people of this country the way they did by “just following orders” and they deserved what they got at the end of that rope, trial by fire, tared and feathered, dragged behind a truck, drawn and quartered, or guillotined from that group of angry people”?
I highly doubt it in fact those that are old enough to remember will be the ones to come hunt you and your family down and kill you. Look at wwii and what has been taking place around the world regarding those pesky white’s(aka Germans) and the systematic attacks against that race by another group or tribe. Who has kept this attack going, you guessed it the survivors children. Take into consideration the level of violence children already perpetrate in this country with total disregard for life, property and absolute lack of morality.
With the lack of parental units around whats going to stop these children from becoming exactly the same?
War is not pretty nor is it fair and the most vulnerable are the ones who ultimately suffer due to the actions or lack there of their parents. If you restrict yourself to a set of rules for war you have already lost since the enemy will not be so nice as you working within a set of rules(other than total genocide) as you can already see going on.
Think of what was done with children by the indigenous people in vietnam. Thats right they were mario brothers bomb packs.
If this is what is done with the enemies own what will they do with yours? They are already attempting to put your own children against you creating rats in society attacking the family unit. Shall I continue with how they are also using children as sex toys which could very well be a possibility for your own children(or spouse/girlfriend) by the enemy?
Am I advocating killing children the simple answer is no but in a situation like this there is a possibility of it becoming a decision some will need to make. If you don’t make the choice it could very well come back to bite you in the a$$. Some already have made this decision in advance so they can move onto their next targets or threats in order to rid the planet of those out to control and destroy all of humanity. If you are standing in the way of someone killing gov officials family or worse children(which will be dangerous to your own life and your families) you are actually giving those within institutions the knowledge that their bloodline will continue regardless of what they do to you your family your friends and this country.
This is not about whats accepted as today’s moral standard but rather what is to come since it is a future that must be faced.
well useful idiots musts needs protected; and joe blow from kokomo, aint even chopped liver. another layer of, bs to protect the tyrannical administrative state. gunn-up!
“The men and women who put their lives on the line every day, often under very dangerous circumstances are true heroes and they deserve every protection that we can give them. They serve and protect our communities and our families.”
Black is white.
F’n scumbag jewb#tch politician, they only serve and protect the corporate interests.
Your time AND theirs grows short, b#tch!