Editor:
I was greatly disturbed and saddened by John Morley’s March 5 opinion column, “Real Debate Over Hate Crime Bill Impossible,” on the defeated hate crime bill.
What disappointed me was Mr. Morley’s attitude concerning the bill. He implies that because Utah has a statistically small hate crime problem and because the Legislature has other issues on which to concentrate, the victims of hate crimes do not deserve justice.
I have long been under the impression that the state Legislature was implemented to serve and protect the rights of ALL the citizens of the state.
Therefore, to say that the Legislature “doesn’t have the time or the resources” to protect the rights of hate crime victims is not only appalling, but also shreds the very foundation of democracy.
The problem is not that the “ultra-white” legislators or Mr. Morley are bigots, but that they are simply unable, it seems, to commiserate and empathize with the victims.
Anyone that has been a target of racism knows the humiliation that is felt. The importance of the bill lies in the fact that this demoralization is only multiplied when the perpetrators of such crimes get away with just a slap on the wrist.
I suspect that if the legislators, Morley, or one of their family members were some of the “few” who became victims of one of these crimes, they would feel differently regarding this matter.
While passing the bill may not eliminate hate in our society, it would give victims the feeling that some sort of justice had been served. I, for one, hope it is revived in the near future.
Danyelle White, Junior, English