Homeless Hate Crimes

Trent 1

Hannah Trent

Journalism 10

Muckenfuss

02 November 2015

Hate Crimes on the Homeless

Homeless individuals across the country are being set on fire, raped, beaten, murdered, and harassed, but these violent actions are not considered hate crimes. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), hate crimes are not committed by specialized groups, but by individuals who hold a strong resentment against these individuals. There are three different types of attackers, according to NCH. “Mission offenders” believe they are doing society a favor bylcleaning the homeless off the streets. “Scapegoat offenders” focus their attention toward the power of a specific group in regards to race and ethnicity. Lastly, “Thrill seekers”

Police do not know the motive behind the attack, or who the attacker is.

“Many people look down on the homeless, because they feel the homeless are in that situation because of bad choices they made,” Visser said. “Some believe, all they have to do is get a job and pull themselvesatogether.” Society holds a complex view of homelessness, creating stereotypes that are almost entirely untrue. “Homeless people are all criminals,” is an example. Society believes that just because these individuals are poor, they lack ethics, or have trouble understanding what is morally right and wrong. Stealing is sometimes necessary for these individuals to survive, but it does not mean all homeless people steal. “They are drug addicts,” is another example of a stereotype.

“Homelessness is caused by a lack of resources and a safety net like family and friends,” said Leanne Drieberg, CEO of Inland Temporary Homes. "If drug addiction caused homelessness, then wouldn’t we see more rock stars homeless?”

One of the most common stereotypes is, “all homeless want to live on the streets.” “People believe that the homeless can stand on a side corner holding a cup, and make a full salary” said Dan Nackerman, Executive Director of the Housing Authority in the county

“It makes you paranoid and drives you to insanity.”

“Advocates of expanding hate crime laws to include the homeless have gained momentum through regional efforts.” Levin, in a report published by the NCH, wrote. “New measures are being advanced through the cooperative work of homeless coalitions, academics, and human relations agencies, as well as law enforcement and state and local legislators.”

Applied survey research was commissioned by Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County to do a survey on the homeless count in 2007. They found that 7,331 individuals were classified as homeless within the county, a fifty percent increase from 2003.

The more homeless people there are on the streets, the greater the chances are for an attack.

“In California, a bill was passed by the assembly that would add the homeless to a statute that provides various civil protections to victims of hate crime,” Levin said. “In recent years nearly a dozen states have seen legislation introduced to cover homelessness under state hate crime law.”

Los Angeles County is taking extra measures to acknowledge violence against the homeless as a hate crime, San Bernardino is