| Q: What is a hate incident? |
| Q: How do I report a hate crime? |
| Q: How does the District Attorney handle hate crimes? |
| Q: What is a hate crime? |
| Q: Someone called me an offensive racial epithet. Is this a crime? |
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| Q: What is a hate incident? |
| A: A hate incident is any action that is motivated by bias but does not constitute any crime. The First Amendment protects these actions as a right to freedom of expression. This freedom, however, cannot interfere with another persons civil rights. Some common examples of hate incidents include: the distribution of non-threatening racist flyers in public, the display of non-threatening anti-gay or lesbian placards at a parade, or a letter ridiculing people with disabilities. Documented hate incidents can possibly be used to show motivation that a person goes on to commit a hate crime. |
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| Q: How do I report a hate crime? |
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A: If you believe you are a victim of a hate crime that jeopardizes your safety or the safety of someone else, call 911. If you have questions about whether you or someone you know has been a victim of a hate crime, or to learn more about hate crimes in general, call the following number:
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| Q: How does the District Attorney handle hate crimes? |
| A: The District Attorney views hate incidents and hate crimes as very serious matters that are worthy of specialized prosecution. All potential cases are referred to a designated deputy district attorney (DDA) in the Special Prosecutions Unit. That prosecutor is an expert in this field and will vigorously prosecute all hate crimes when there is sufficient evidence to prove the legal elements of this particularly heinous crime. He or she handles the case during all stages of prosecution from filing through trial/plea and sentencing. He or she also closely coordinates these matters with the California Department of Justice and the Orange County Human Relations Commission. |
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| Q: What is a hate crime? |
| A: A hate crime is any criminal act in which the perpetrator targets the victim because of the victims disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. California laws call for enhanced penalties for these types of crimes. Some common examples include: racist graffiti on anothers property, burning a cross on someones lawn, assault, and criminal threat. The simple fact that a perpetrator and the victim is of a different background may not necessarily mean a hate crime has been committed. |
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| Q: Someone called me an offensive racial epithet. Is this a crime? |
| A: No, it is a hate incident. A hate incident is any action that is motivated by bias but does not constitute a crime. The First Amendment protects these actions as a right to freedom of expression. This freedom, however, cannot interfere with another persons civil rights. Some common examples of hate incidents include: the distribution of non-threatening racist flyers in public, the display of non-threatening anti-gay or lesbian placards at a parade, or a letter ridiculing people with disabilities. Documented hate incidents can possibly be used to show motivation that a person goes on to commit a hate crime. |
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