It’s a crime, like others
A local church statue was vandalized:
A solid marble statue of the Virgin Mary holding her infant son Jesus has been defaced by vandals. Red paint now scars Mary’s face. Baby Jesus’s head and arms have been broken off.
Now, as though it was news, the local PD has determined it is not a hate crime:
The crime is being classified as vandalism because it was isolated and there’s no evidence the vandals were targeting a specific religion.
Well, other than the upside down cross painted on the Virgin Mary.
First, I’m not real keen on hate crimes as law any way. I don’t think it matters if you murder a black man or a white man. You murdered someone, period. Even if I were keen on the idea, I’m trying to figure out why this story is a big deal. People vandalize stuff all the time. Why the police would put more effort into this case than someone keying a car is beyond me.
Update: Rich has more comparisons to local hate crimes past.
