Published: August 07, 2008 11:47 pm         

NAACP plans courthouse rally to support hate crime laws

TERRE HAUTE — Advocates of hate crimes legislation in Terre Haute are organizing a public rally next week to show support for the legislation.

The Greater Terre Haute Branch of the NAACP is inviting everyone to a community peace rally Thursday on the steps of the Vigo County Courthouse at 6 p.m.

A release from the group states, “In the wake of a recent string of hate crimes that have occurred in our community, the NAACP wishes for citizens of the Terre Haute community to stand united against hate in our community and urge the Terre Haute City Council to pass a resolution urging state lawmakers to pass a hate crimes bill that would punish perpetrators who commit criminal acts against individuals because of their race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, sexual preference, etc.”

Such a resolution is being considered in the City Council, and will be voted on next week.

A. Theressa Bynum, president of the Terre Haute NAACP, said Thursday, “I hope everybody in Terre Haute will be there – everybody who is concerned about the hate in this community, I want them to speak out against the violence and let it be known that we support hate crimes legislation.

“This is an opportunity for everybody who wants to put two cents worth in to let the legislators know that it is time for there to be legislation in the state,” she said.

“I think with the City Council’s support, hopefully it is going to signal some other communities to do the same thing,” Bynum added.

Indiana is one of only five states without hate crimes legislation. The others are Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Wyoming, according to the Anti-Defamation League, online at www.adl.org. A federal hate crimes law currently contains a prerequisite that the victim had to have been engaged in a federally protected activity when the crime occurred to be eligible for federal jurisdiction.

Bynum said she thinks the reason it has taken Indiana so long to pass hate crime laws is that, “people in other parts of the state … have some agendas that keep confusing things; they have attempted over several years to derail this.”

City Council President Todd Nation, D-4th, said Thursday he hopes the resolution will both encourage the state to pass hate crimes legislation as well as bring about a change in Terre Haute.

“The impact that I’m hoping for is that Terre Haute will see fewer incidences like some of the recent swastika graffiti, nooses left lying about, crosses burned into lawns, those kinds of actions,” Nation said. “This is just one small awareness-raising action – what I really hope will happen is that it will be addressed at the state level and that it will put some consequences in place for people who engage in this activity.”

Nation added that all nine city councilmen are co-sponsors of the resolution.

“That’s an unusual situation,” Nation said, “and an illustration of the level of support for this kind of legislation.

“I expect it to pass unanimously,” he said.

Bynum said, “It’s exciting that Terre Haute is taking a lead in this … People need to speak up and let folks know this is not going to be tolerated in this community.

“This is the kind of thing, when people are silent, it gives the message that this is OK.”

For more information about the City Council resolution, hate crimes legislation in Indiana, or the peace rally on Thursday, contact the NAACP at (812) 235-8555.

Deb Kelly can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.kelly@tribstar.com.