Based on the definition that the White House cited in response to this bizarre push, police officers could NOT fall under hate crime protections. But that doesn't seem to be deterring the FOP, which must apparently think of policing as a religion.
What do you think? Should police be given the legally protected status of a "minority group"?
http://bit.ly/18ysIRd
Police Push For Anti-Cop Comments To Be Legally Considered ‘Hate Speech’?
The National Fraternal Order of Police is pushing for legislation to classify anti-police comments as “hate speech.” The 300,000 strong FOP says that police officers should fall under the Congressional hate crimes statute, and should thus be regarded as a protected minority.
This bold move comes on the heels of two New York City police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who were killed in the line of duty.
The FOP codified their demands in a letter to the White House and Congress which say that police are the targets of “hate speech” that should no longer be legally permitted.
“Right now, it’s a hate crime if you attack someone solely because of the color of their skin, but it ought to be a hate crime if you attack someone solely because of the color of their uniform as well,” said Jim Pasco, the executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police.The statement, made by Chuck Canterbury, the president of the union, also calls for harsher punishment for those who bring any harm to law enforcement officers.
“Enough is enough! It’s time for Congress to do something to protect the men and women who protect us.”
Josh Earnest, the Press Secretary for the Obama administration responded, saying it’s “something that we’ll have to consider.”
“A hate crime is defined by Congress as a ‘criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.’ If local authorities decline to prosecute a hate crime, the federal government can take over, making hate crime offenders more likely to face prosecution.”Based on the definition that the White House cited, police officers could not fall under hate crime protections. But that doesn’t seem to be deterring the FOP, which must apparently think of policing as a religion.
