George,

Simple point of fact - had it been white high school students that attacked black college students then hate crime laws would have been thrown at them. The one adult (age 18) with the juveniles would never have been allowed to receive the same punishment as the minors.

This is just as much a hate crime as was Matthew Sheppard and the only reason it is not being classified as such is because the victims were white. Racism is hatred whether one hates blacks, jews, orientals, indigenous people, or even, yes it's true it happens, white people.

When a double standard exists it breeds the kind of anger and frustration that results in hate crimes. If there were retalliatory attacks made against minority high school student it would immediately be called a hate crime since the victims would be black.

If everyone was equal under the law as we are supposed to be then whites would recieve the same protection from racially motivated crime as do other minorities.

Justin Frazier (electronic mail, April 13, 2002)