By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – Stamping out hate crime was the goal of a forum held at the Erie Community College City campus Wednesday.
A panel of community leaders and law enforcement officials offered their insights.
But few turned out to learn what can be done to stop what some officials call an infestation in our community.
ECC hosted the forum partly to address concerns over two allegedly, racially motivated crimes in Buffalo this summer. Ten men were arrested, including some for hate crimes, stemming from the Lovejoy and Seneca-Babcock attacks.
Keynote speaker for the forum was Thomas Finnerty. He is the Chief Felony Prosecutor for the District Attorney's office. Finnerty said hate crime can not be ignored.
"The District Attorney's office has and will continue to investigate any allegation of a hate crime, early and seriously," said Finnerty.
But hate crime is not only a problem for Buffalo law enforcement. 7,400 hate crimes were reported nationally last year alone.
Finnerty said what makes hate crime more serious is the intent to harm many.
"Hate crimes are about messages. Offenders use a criminal event to put the members of an entire group on notice, by example, that they are not welcome," said Finnerty.
Links were drawn between graffiti and hate crime. It was even compared to terrorism.
The informational session was intended to educate the public about these and other unique dynamics of hate crime. And what can be done to stop it.
4,000 flyers were sent out to more than 80 public and private agencies. But only about thirty people showed up for the event.
Frank Mesiah, President of the Buffalo Chapter of the NAACP, was a panelist.
Mesiah is not surprised by the apathy.
"Race in this society is covered over by a thin veneer that everything is all right," said Mesiah. "And generally what happens is an eruption of some type, and then people scurry around, try to put the cover back on, but nobody really deals with thee real cause."
Race bias against blacks accounts for most reported hate crime. Jews are targeted most often when religion is the motive.