Against Hate Crimes Laws, for Attacks on Cops or Anyone Else
Matt Welch argues on MSNBC that hate crimes laws run up against problems with free speech, double jeopardy, and squabbles over who gets to be a protected class
(Fraternal Order of Police)
This morning I appeared on MSNBC's AM Joy to talk about this week's police/protest controversies. Part of the conversation centered on the role of hate crimes laws, and whether it makes sense to extend their protection to law enforcement, as Louisiana did six weeks ago with its "Blue Lives Matter" law.
I argued that not only do police officers enjoy any number of enhanced protections in the law (especially in such regressive states as Louisiana), but that the controversy illustrates the whole problem with hate crimes laws in the first place. I start at around the six-minute mark: