Ward 1 City Councilman Jeffrey George has proposed an ordinance to his fellow Hattiesburg City Council members aimed at eliminating hate crime, and the targeting of certain individuals.
The ordinance, which was proposed at last week’s council meeting, has three basic requests, with the first being the addition of the words “sexual orientation,” “gender identification,” and “disability” to Mississippi Code 99-13-301, which stipulates that penalties will be subject to enhancement if a crime is committed because of a person’s race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin or gender.
The second request asks that the City of Hattiesburg be authorized to provide sufficient training to its law enforcement personnel regarding criminal laws as well as departmental policies on proper reporting of hate crimes.
Thirdly, the ordinance requests that the city be authorized to provide annual statistical data regarding the occurrence of hate crime and the groups or individuals targeted to the FBI.
“I know in the past that this council has discussed the need for different policies that affirm the value that we have as a city for each and every person in our diverse community,” George said. “We have often been asked to look at ordinances that take steps to protect all members of our community from hate that may be directed toward them for any particular reason.
“Hate speech and the efforts associated with it seek to divide people in our community based off of race and other identifying factors, and it’s always been an issue in our society. I think within recent weeks and months, and the heightened tension nationwide, that we have seen more people engaging in what some would consider to be hate speech. Sometimes I think that hate speech turns into action, and crimes are committed against people in our community simply because of who they are.”
The ordinance states that 37 states in the country include in their “hate crimes” laws sexual orientation, gender identity and/or disability. Some of those states include Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia.
In addition, the list of persons in the aforementioned Mississippi code are included because there has been a history of violent acts toward those groups.
“I think here in Hattiesburg, we have taken important steps forward ensure that everyone feels welcome and that people feel protected in our community,” George said. “But this ordinance that I’m presenting today for this council to review, and I see feedback on, I think takes another step in the right direction towards protecting all people.”
