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Sutton Pushes For Hate Crimes
Protections in Dekalb County
TAKE
by Chris Duncan
DeKalb County Commissioner Sherry
Sutton introduced the strongest hate crimes
legislation yet in the state of Georgia on Dec.
12. Her ordinance, if passed, will mandate a
minimum sentence of 60 days and a fine of
$500 for those convicted of malicious harass
ment in the metro Atlanta county.
Admired for many years by activists in the
metropolitan area for her support of gay rights,
Sutton called the ordinance her "Christmas
card to the community."
The crime of malicious harassment has
been adopted by cities all over the country in
the past few years as they struggle to address
crimes motivated by hatred toward an individ
ual's actual or perceived status in society - so-
called hate crimes. Sutton's ordinance specifi
cally addresses crimes committed against indi
viduals because of their "race, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, age, creed, national origin,
color, marital status, physical or mental dis
ability, or infection with the human immunod
eficiency vims."
Although Sutton said she didn't realize that something to protect white people?'."
her ordinance "would be the first one in Anticipating some negative reaction from
Georgia," she doesn't believe that she will conservative factions in the county, Sutton
have much trouble getting it passed. stressed the importance of citizens calling
"I believe we're going to pass it," Sutton upon other commissioners to lobby for their
said. "There's nothing controversial about it. support of her ordinance. Those in DeKalb
We're just protecting DeKalb citizens and County who do not know how to get in touch
that’s what we’re supposed to be all about." with their commissioner can call 371-2881 for
The commissioner has received some nega- more information,
tive response to the ordinance from voters, but Sutton said that her ordinance will be
she said that they were mostly offended by the before the full commission by sometime in
racial protections in the bill. mid-January, but added that "depending on
"They don't get to the homosexual part," how much community support I get, we might
Sutton said, "they just get to the race part and just go ahead ... and take it in and get it
call up and ask 'When are you going to do passed."
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Hate Crimes Act Moving Despite Helms
Senator Nunn signs on as co-sponsor
by Cliff O'Neill bill's lead sponsor. Without such an agree
ment, the bill's supporters had feared that
Helms would filibuster the bill. As it takes 60
senators to sign a cloture petition to break a fili
buster, it seemed that a Helms filibuster would
kill the bill.
First Helms blamed the ads on the "homo
sexual lobby." Then, according to the Raleigh
News and Observer, Helms used them in his
fundraising materials.
Copies of the ads were sent out with no dis
cussion of the hate crimes issue. "[Tjhese left
wing radicals despise the traditional values
Jesse holds dear," the letter read. Helms 1990
race, the letter said, "could be won or lost in the
next few weeks depending on whether or not
we can stand up to their beat-Helms blitz."
Bowing to the resulting bad publicity over
the ads, Helms then said he would be happy to
submit to a time agreement on the bill. But on
his terms.
Helms has planned to introduce an amend
ment to the bill which would declare the
"homosexual political movement" a threat to
the family; put the Senate on record as being
against any future gay and lesbian rights bill;
encourage the enforcement of state sodomy
laws; and ban gay-positive materials in public
schools. As part of Helms' time agreement
proposal, no "second degree" amendments lim
iting the scope of his rider would be allowed,
nor could his amendment be tabled.
Supporters of the bill did not find that
acceptable. They decided to try a different
strategy. They would try to win the hard way.
With over 50 cosponsors already signed on
to the popular bill, the broad hate crimes bill
Cont'd on page 14
The newspaper ad was, in no uncertain
terms, less than flattering. In big letters super
imposed over a photograph of a crime scene it
read: "Why Is Senator Helms Soft On Crime?"
Senator Helms was not amused.
The full-page advertisements, placed in two
prominent North Carolina newspapers and one
Capitol Hill weekly this past fall, accused
Senator Jesse A. Helms, the fire-and-brimstone
conservative from the Tar Heel State and the
self-appointed guardian of the public morality,
of condoning certain types of crime and of tol
erating hatred.
An issue was, and continues to be, the Hate
Crimes Statistics Act (S. 419/H.R. 1048), a bill
which would order the U.S. Department of
Justice to collect statistics on crimes motivated
by bias based on race, religion, ethnicity or sex
ual orientation. Although the bill passed the
House this past summer with overwhelming
bipartisan support, in the Senate, where the bill
passed through its requisite committees months
before the House even got to it, action has
come to a standstill. Why?
Helms doesn't like it.
And that's just what the ads said. Paid for by
the liberal organization People for the
American Way, the attack spots were intended
to discredit Helms on his home turf just as his
1990 reclection race was getting underway.
Also, they were intended to break a roadblock
Helms had placed on the bill.
Although the bill has been awaiting floor
time for several months, Helms had managed to
stop the bill by refusing to consent to a time
agreement with Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill ), the
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