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Hate crime increases in diversity pool

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According to UH’s so-called “Clery report,” an annual report that documents campus crime, hate crimes have risen over the years. It went from zero, to two, to seven in 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively, which is a disgrace on a campus known for its diverse student body.

In addition, hate crimes recently struck the University of Hartford, where a white female student poisoned and tampered with her black roommate’s personal items out of spite.

The Cougar’s opinion editors decided to speak on this.

[tabgroup][tab title=”Dana C. Jones”]Hate crimes are offenses that follow the path of lynchings in the postbellum American South. Despite mostly racial origins, hate crimes are made against every minority group. The fact that we see crimes rooted in bias committed on a campus that praises its diversity proves that the presence of multiple ethnicities and sexual orientations doesn’t solve everything. It further proves that the only path to real progress is through toleration of differences. Otherwise, these premeditated, targeted acts will continue.

Opinion editor Dana C. Jones is a print journalism junior. He can be reached at [email protected].

[/tab][tab title=”Mia Valdez”]Two lines of inquiry strike me most about hate crimes: What is the intimate life of a hateful person, such that they feel compelled to betray the safety of another human life? And what torrent of emotions rages through the life of a person after they have been victimized by a hate crime? I am most interested in understanding this act of betrayal on the part of the perpetrator and disproving the logic behind hate crimes. It is important to pursue this line of questioning because it is, in fact, an intimate betrayal.

Assistant opinion editor Mia Valdez is a creative writing senior. She can be reached at [email protected].

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