Soon after the September 11th attacks, a number of Sikh men were targeted and killed; mistaken as Muslims. Such hate crimes are only a new twist on what has become a familiar story. Children at a Jewish daycare centre in California were attacked by an anti-Semitic gunman. In Texas, a black man was dragged to death from the back of a pick-up truck. And, of course, we all remember the brutal murder of Matthew Shepperd, a young gay man from Montana.
All are cases of hate crimes. Whether motivated by race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexuality, hate crimes happen every day and in every state across the country.
Hate and Bias Crime: A Reader is the first reader to bring together the essential readings on hate and bias crime, its causes and consequences, victims, hate groups and interventions.