LANSING, Mich. — House Democrats in Lansing moved this week to establish and expand what are considered hate crimes in Michigan.
Under current law, such offenses are not referred to as hate crimes, but as ethnic intimidation.
"By enacting this legislation, we can demonstrate that Michigan's justice system will treat hate crimes with the seriousness and severity that they are due," State Rep. Noah Arbit (D-West Bloomfield) said.
House Bills 4474 through 4477 include classifying offenses as hate crimes as well as expanding classes that are protected under the law. Such would include those who are targeted on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, age, disability, ethnicity and association with a particular person or group.
The bills also establish penalties for the vandalism and desecration of institutions like houses of worship. They also seek to increase penalties for some hate crimes up to five years in prison and $10,000 penalties.
Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson said he's urged the legislature to make such changes, pointing to a case where his office believed a man to be targeted because he was gay.
"Several years ago, I was in Lansing talking to senators about expanding the definition because of a case we had here in Muskegon where a young man was attacked and robbed of items," Hilson said. "And we certainly believe that part of that, and the facts supported that part of that was because he was homosexual. And unfortunately, the way the law is written currently, that was not a basis for ethnic intimidation."
"Anytime that you, I'll say, lower that threshold, and allow us to really focus in on the actions and use that to our advantage in arguing for a conviction, it's better for those victims," Hilson said.
As changes could help prosecutors make a better case, another county prosecutor stressed what he believed to be the importance of maintaining certain standards as not to infringe on free speech.
"So if you want to cover different groups, that's something that this law seems to do, and maybe somebody would go down that road," Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker said. "But I think you're always going to have that, you know, thought plus action. I don't think you can just start saying, well, 'people think this way we're going to prosecute them,' because that's a really dangerous road to go down."
Both Hilson and Becker said that they believe prosecutors in the area will continue to follow the law and seek justice where the law allows.
"With the way that this new statute is written, it will increase our ability to investigate and prosecute the offenders of these crimes," Hilson said.
"I think any department is going to take allegations seriously and look into it," Becker said. "Whether we can prosecute or not is a different story, but that's something we'll definitely take a look at and whether the law is the same or changes, I think that's gonna ring true."
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