Should Attacking Homeless People Be A Hate Crime?

The Maryland State Senate decided against it. Supporters who supported such a bill said that Maryland would be the first state in the country to designate homeless people as a protected class—similar to race or sexual orientation.

However, it was narrowly voted down 23 to 22.

With the increase of violence against people who are homeless throughout the country, such a bill would have made a significant moral statement… Our country should not allow brutal crimes against a vulnerable population who cannot protect themselves.

It will be interesting to see if any other public officials might pick up this cause.

Perhaps in our own Central City East (“Skid Row”) neighborhood we could add a “protected class” designation to the homeless in that zone, along with the new “drug free zone” laws.