S615
It’s back: HATE CRIME BILL SENATE VERSION! This time around, they’ve given it a rather quaint name: Cultural Awareness and Free Speech.
Anyway, looks like the folks making the laws in South Carolina are at it again, stirring the pot with their latest brainchild, S615. This gem of a bill claims to toughen up on penalties for hate crimes, but oh, hold on a sec, there's a catch. Deep in the folds of this bill, nestled in the new section 16-3-2410, lies a minefield of words so vague, it's like they're begging for a wild interpretation party on the LEFT’s end.
To my South Carolinian Conservatives, we've got ourselves a real doozy. Trying to figure out what's going through a perpetrator's mind? Might as well try your luck at reading tea leaves. And pinning down a bias motive? Let's just say the playing field isn't exactly even, leaning a tad too much towards those with a certain... let's say, leftist persuasion.
The expansion of what constitutes a hate crime to include "belief or perception" is setting us up for a legal headache, tossing a whirlwind of subjectivity into the fray. Proving what was going through someone's head at the time of a crime is like a dream scenario for prosecutors who lean LEFT, banking way too much on the shaky legs of circumstantial evidence.
And the cherry on top? The requirement to prove that a crime was motivated "in whole or in part" by bias is like opening a whole can of worms when it comes to subjectivity. It's practically an invitation for the personal biases of those in the legal system—be it the police, prosecutors, or jurors—to twist the definition of what's considered a bias crime. I mean, seriously, what are they thinking?
This bill, with its nebulous wording, is just asking for trouble, complicating the already Herculean task faced by law enforcement and judges to apply the law with any semblance of consistency. It's a disaster in the making, paving the way for a mishmash of law enforcement that's bound to chip away at the law's integrity and fairness.
And let's not breeze past the Fourteenth Amendment, shall we? It's not just there for decoration—it promises equal protection under the law. So, what's the rush to pass a law that seems to roll out the red carpet for bias crimes? It's practically laying down a welcome mat for inconsistent application of the law, especially against certain groups who might find themselves in the crosshairs more often under these broadened terms.
In a nutshell, this bill is a bad idea, a potential headache waiting to happen, and frankly, we'd all be better off giving it a hard pass. Fingers crossed our lawmakers have the wisdom to see it for what it is - A BAD IDEA!
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Reach out to the Senate Judiciary Committee and make your voice heard: it's crucial they put an end to this bill. They're gathering on February 20th, 2024, at 3 PM, which is right around the corner. Time is of the essence, so please act swiftly.
Update 3/1/24
S615 (name changed to Hate Crimes) has successfully advanced out of Senate Judiciary committee and is now proceeding to the Senate Floor for further deliberation.
Legislative ACTION
We encourage you to contact your Senator and express your opposition to this bill.
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