Rabb: Addressing Root Causes of Bigotry

Rep. Christopher M. Rabb    July 11, 2023 | 4:18 PM

Pa. state Rep. Chris Rabb says that though anti-hate crime statutes have been on the books for decades, there is no evidence they have deterred hate-based attacks on person or property. So, as hate-based violence continues to rise across the Commonwealth, existing laws meant to protect people against such harm have been largely ineffectual and disproportionately used by prosecutors against people of color. One of the challenges for those who support such measures is the lack of training and reporting of alleged hate crimes by law enforcement officers. Further, people from impacted communities often do not trust law enforcement to prioritize their concerns. That said, even with full coordination and involvement of law enforcement, the new training requirement put forth in HB 1024 lacks any discussion of the root causes of bigotry that fuels such violent attacks. Rabb will be authoring legislation to accompany HB 1024 and related bills to codify into law a definition of structural violence which is at the heart of the systemic sources of hate, often validated by government policies and practices. Further, his forthcoming bill will address these structural issues through community-centered, evidence-based, non-carceral measures.

Send Feedback