Hate Crimes in Tampa

The article below reminds me once again how life in Tampa at times can be such a challenge. Though there are plenty of pockets of progressivism, hate is never too far away. I saw that a lot of times in my own classrooms, though in a less virulent manner.

Tampa logs 13 hate crimes for '07, most in state

Tampa leads the state in the number of reported hate crimes, according to an annual report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said that while Tampa's number may seem high compared with other agencies, it is more indicative of the agency's sensitivity to the issue of hate-motivated crime. "We have a very aggressive policy that we report all possible and borderline hate crimes," she said. In 2007, Tampa police investigated 13 crimes they thought fit the description of having "evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity," in accordance with the 1990 Hate Crimes Statistic Act that requires such annual reporting.

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