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After Charlottesville, Utah Lawmaker To Press Harder For Hate Crimes Bill

Lee Hale, KUER

A Utah lawmaker says the violence fueled by a white supremacist march in Virginia last month should make clear the need for stiffer penalties for hate crimes in the state.

 

State Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley, has tried for two sessions to strengthen Utah’s sentencing for crimes committed with the intent of harming a victim based on his or her race, religion or sexuality.

 

He says after the events of Charlottesville last month, he’s going to try again next year.   

 

“You would think Charlottesville has to change things,” says Thatcher. “The reality is when I’m having conversations in hallways, Charlottesville is going to have to come up.”

 

White supremacists held a large demonstration that led to counter-protests and violence. One man plowed his car into a group of demonstrators, killing a woman.

 

Utah’s current statutes only allows hate crimes to be attached to misdemeanor crimes. It’s also unclear who’s rights will be protected.

 

“When you’ve got Christian monuments being destroyed, when you have Muslim mosques being burned to the ground, when you have bomb threats coming in to Jewish schools, synagogues and community centers, that’s pretty devastating to that community,” he said.

Thatcher says the current climate in the U.S. means that Utah needs to address the issue during their next session beginning in January. He believes the bill could gain enough support this time to pass.

 

 

Julia joined KUER in 2016 after a year reporting at the NPR member station in Reno, Nev. During her stint, she covered battleground politics, school overcrowding, and any story that would take her to the crystal blue shores of Lake Tahoe. Her work earned her two regional Edward R. Murrow awards. Originally from the mountains of Western North Carolina, Julia graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2008 with a degree in journalism. She’s worked as both a print and radio reporter in several states and several countries — from the 2008 Beijing Olympics to Dakar, Senegal. Her curiosity about the American West led her to take a spontaneous, one-way road trip to the Great Basin, where she intends to continue preaching the gospel of community journalism, public radio and podcasting. In her spare time, you’ll find her hanging with her beagle Bodhi, taking pictures of her food and watching Patrick Swayze movies.
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