Missouri Hate Crimes

Statistics

According to FBI hate crime statistics for 2011, a total of 117 incidents of hate crime were reported for a population of 6,001,775 people in the state of Missouri. 

Laws

The state law of Missouri criminalizes vandalism or damage to places used for religious worship or other religious purpose, schools, community centers, and any personal property contained therein (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 574.085). Institutional vandalism in Missouri is a class A misdemeanor unless damages exceed one thousand dollars where it becomes a class D felony. Damages in excess of five thousand are reclassified as a class C felony. 

Missouri law also provides enhanced penalties for crimes that the state believes to be knowingly motivated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or disability of the victim or victims (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 557.035). A violation under this statute is a class D felony. 

News

The Southeast Missourian wrote a story in August, 2012 about a hate crime in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. A Lesbian woman, Jeana Terry, was pulled from her home by 16-year-old Mercedes Ayers. Ayers knocked on Terry's door and pulled her out onto her own porch and began to beat her. Ayers' 11-year-old brother and 13-year-old sister soon joined in the beating. Ayers and her siblings yelled derogatory names at Terry as they beat her. Terms like "dykes" and "yags" were used. Terry turned 17 shortly after the crime and was charged as an adult. Ayers was charged with a class B felony for first-degree burglary which could lead to five to 15 years in prison. She was also charged with assault. Because the assault was characterized as a hate crime, the penalty is enhanced to a class D felony with the possibility of one to four years in prison. Mercedes' siblings were too young by state law to be charged as adults (Moyers, 2012). 

Media

Society is slowly becoming more accepting of different races, religions, gender identities, and sexual orientations. Part of the way we accomplish this is by showing examples of others who successfully stand up to discrimination. The PBS documentary Not In Our Town: Class Actions is a half-hour documentary that shows three stories of students and their communities attempting to stop hate and bullying. Below is the full length documentary for you to check out (O'Neil, 2012). Also, the Not In Our Town website niot.org also has other information about standing up the hate crimes.

Watch Class Actions - Full Episode on PBS. See more from Not In Our Town.

Those seeking more information about hate crimes can also refer to a multitude of books on the subject. one such book is Hate Crime: Impact, Causes, and Responses by authors Neil Chakraborti and Jon Garland. This book offers an introduction to the subject of hate crime, its' causes, and the various responses it illicits.

Sources

Moyers, S. (2012, August 15). 17-year-old certified as adult, charged with hate crime against gay cape girardeau woman. Southeast Missourian. Retrieved from http://www.semissourian.com/story/1881484.html

O'Neil, P. (Director) (2012). Not in our town: Class actions[Web]. Retrieved from  http://www.pbs.org/programs/not-in-our-town/