Under Washington State Law: “A person is guilty of malicious harassment if he or she maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of his or her perception of the victim’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap:
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Causes physical injury to the victim or another person;
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Causes physical damage to or destruction of the property of the victim or another person; or
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Threatens a specific person or group of persons and places that person, or members of the specific group of persons, in reasonable fear of harm to person or property.”
A crime is an act deemed to be illegal; it becomes a hate crime when it is motivated by bias or prejudice against a person or people perceived to be a part of a group, and is intended to induce fear, scare, terrify or cause psychological harm.
Why Report Hates Crimes
Reporting hate crimes can lead to their prevention by identifying those prone to these activities and sending a message that these crimes will not be ignored.
One of the most common reasons victims gave for not reporting a hate crime was because they felt it may be perceived as too trivial.
If hate crimes are not reported, they may continue.