SAMPLE INTRODUCTION MATERIALS

Should “hate crime” be punished more severely than the same crime with different
motives?

Introduction

[On 25th May, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, was murdered in the city
of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, who brutally knelt on the victim’s
neck for an extended period of time while Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street.
Floyd told Chauvin “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times before his death, only to have his
plea dismissed and those were his last words.
(Sources:
Murder of George Floyd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd)
George Floyd told officers 'I can't breathe' more than 20 times, transcripts show
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/08/george-floyd-police-killing-transcript-i-
cant-breathe)

On 23rd April 2021, whilst Yao Pan Ma, a 61-year-old unemployed Chinese immigrant, was
collecting cans on the streets in East Harlem, Jarrod Powell, an African American, attacked
him from behind, shoved him to the ground and viciously kicked his head repeatedly. Ma
eventually died of cerebral hemorrhage in the hospital.
(Sources:
Killing of Yao Pan Ma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Yao_Pan_Ma)
D.A. Bragg Announces Hate Crime Murder Charges in Anti-Asian Attack of Yao Pan Ma in
East Harlem – Manhattan District Attorney's Office https://www.manhattanda.org/d-a-
bragg-announces-hate-crime-murder-charges-in-anti-asian-attack-of-yao-pan-ma-in-east-
harlem/
Man charged with murder as a hate crime in fatal NYC attack of Chinese man | The Hill
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/593826-man-charged-with-murder-as-a-hate-
crime-in-fatal-nyc-attack-of-chinese/
Homeless career criminal arraigned on hate crime murder charge for fatal attack on Chinese
immigrant https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10499715/
amp/Homeless-career-criminal-arraigned-hate-crime-murder-charge-fatal-attack-Chinese-
immigrant.html
Mugshots: Jarrod Powell NYC Arrested - Yao Pan Ma Go Fund Me Reddit
https://celebsaga.com/jarrod-powell-nyc-arrested-yao-pan-ma-go-fund-me/
Suspect arrested in attack on Chinese immigrant in NYC https://news.yahoo.com/suspect-
arrested-attack-chinese-american-135514627.html)
 SAMPLE INTRODUCTION MATERIALS

These unpardonable racist attacks, which drew worldwide attention, are the quintessence of
reprehensible “hate crimes” which the law must seek to address].

[Insert statistical data to show the significant increase in the number of hate crimes in recent
years to show the importance of the issue and the need for the law to fight such crimes]
(Possible sources:
Official Statistics: Hate crime, England and Wales, 2020 to 2021
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2020-to-2021/
hate-crime-england-and-wales-2020-to-2021
FBI Releases Updated 2020 Hate Crime Statistics — FBI
https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-updated-2020-hate-crime-
statistics
CDE :: Hate Crime https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/pages/explorer/crime/hate-crime
2021 hit a record for hate crimes in the city of Los Angeles
https://xtown.la/2022/02/01/hate-crime-record-los-angeles-2021/)
Anti-Asian hate crimes surged in early 2021, study says – CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/05/us/anti-asian-hate-crimes-study/index.html
Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism | CSUSB https://www.csusb.edu/hate-and-
extremism-center
Anti-Asian hate crimes up by 342% in 2021, new data shows https://news.yahoo.com/anti-
asian-hate-crimes-342-203747678.html
Anti-Asian hate crimes continue to increase over year – Marquette Wire
https://marquettewire.org/4074106/news/anti-asian-hate-crimes-2022-cb1-em2-ja3-arg4-
aw5-bw6/
FBI says hate crimes against Asian and Black people rise in the U.S.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/30/fbi-says-hate-crimes-against-asian-and-black-people-
rise-in-the-us.html
Hate crimes in US rise to highest level in 12 years, says FBI report | US news | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/31/us-hate-crimes-2020-fbi-report
FBI Releases 2020 Hate Crime Statistics — FBI https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-
releases/fbi-releases-2020-hate-crime-statistics
Hate crime reports in US surge to the highest level in 12 years, FBI says – CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/30/us/fbi-report-hate-crimes-rose-2020/index.html
Hate crimes in US skyrocketed 46% in 2021 | Political Talk
https://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/politics/hate-crimes-in-us-skyrocketed-46-in-
2021/101169297/
Hate crime England and Wales 2021 | Statista
 SAMPLE INTRODUCTION MATERIALS

https://www.statista.com/statistics/536448/police-recorded-hate-crime-in-england-and-
wales/
Reported hate crimes in England and Wales up 9% since start of pandemic | Hate crime |
The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/12/hate-crimes-in-england-
and-wales-up-9-since-covid-pandemic-began)

Possible sources for hate crime definition:

Hate Crimes https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights/hate-crimes
Hate crime https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_crime)
“Hate crime is defined as an offence in which a criminal identifies a victim at least in part
because of animosity towards members of the group to which the victim belongs.”