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Sonoma State Star

The Student News Site of Sonoma State University

Sonoma State Star

The Student News Site of Sonoma State University

Sonoma State Star

Hate crimes spike in U.S.

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Columnist Kitana Gachero

Columnist Kitana Gachero

“Build the Wall,” “Go Home,” and “Vote Trump” have all been triggering buzzwords connected to the recent outbreak of hate crimes across the United States.

Profane graffiti, derogatory remarks and racially charged vandalism have all been major examples of the rampant hate-crimes occurring across the United States directly following the presidential election.

The increase in hate-crimes in the U.S. can be attributed to the current rhetoric communicated by President Donald Trump. As a country, we should hold those in power responsible for what they say publicly. Moreover, it is Trump’s civil duty to lead with integrity, fairness and social justice. Most of which he has failed to fulfill.

The Southern Poverty Law Center collected research data which between Nov. 8 to Dec. 12, a time period in which 1,094 hate crimes were reported.

The SPLC calls these incidents reports of “bias-related harassment and intimidation” which can be read by many as hate-crimes. The FBI defines hate crimes as “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

Of the 1,094 incidents reported, 315 were anti-immigrant incidents. A definite correlation can be drawn between the language and rhetoric Trump uses publicly when addressing immigrants to the hate crimes committed against them. In an interview with CNN, Trump insinuatesn a Mexican-American judge is incapable of presiding over a case he was involved with due to his heritage. This itself is the definition of racism. Startlingly, 37 percent of the 1,094 hate crimes reported referenced Trump directly or one of his notorious campaign slogans, as reported by the SPLC.

In the local city of Windsor, an elementary school was the target of a hate crime. This past October, the Cali Calmecac Language Academy had their campus vandalized with graffiti that read “Trump” on several walls as well as “build the wall higher,” as reported by the Press Democrat.

Trump’s seemingly infamous slogan is “build the wall” essentially means he is going to build a barrier between the U.S. and Mexico. This is problematic because it communicates the idea that not only will the limit relations politically, but will also ban Mexican immigrants from entering the country.

Some of the other groups targeted of these hate crimes are African-Americans, Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQ communities. The SPLC website allows live submissions on their “#ReportHate” intake page of hate-crimes reported by people all over the country, some of which are horrifying to read.

One was a hateful voicemail to Grand Rapids church in Michigan that is known for supporting the immigrant community. A snippet of the voicemail reads includes incendiary remarks toward certain demographics of people and throughout the voicemail the person continuously chants “Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump.“

The fact Trump’s name can be directly linked to hate crimes demonstrates how influential his platform is and how he is using it to cultivate a culture of racial aggression in America. This kind of rampant hate and disregard for the respect of the ethnic, racial,  people should not be tolerated. It’s even more disappointing the the leader of our country can be pointed to as a source for so many hate-crimes.

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