Under Oregon's current law, two people have to be involved in a hate crime for it to be considered a felony.
By: Lindsay Nadrich - Published: June 3, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. — Many people say Oregon needs to get tougher on hate crimes. Under the current law, if someone commits a hate crime alone the most they can be charged with is a misdemeanor.
This issue really became clear after a black teen was intentionally run down by a man who was part of a white supremacist prison gang. He was convicted of murder and a hate crime, but his punishment for the hate crime was less than many say it should've been because of Oregon's laws.
Under Oregon's current law, two people have to be involved in a hate crime for it to be considered a felony. For many, this is unacceptable.
"We need to make sure that people who commit hate crimes and hate incidents know that there's consequences of their actions,” explained Kayse Jama, the executive director of Unite Oregon. (more)