Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, hailing from Spokane, expressed bewilderment over the limitations of Washington’s hate crime law in addressing vandalism targeting the LGBTQ+ community in his hometown.
While certain acts, such as spray painting epithets on the Odyssey Youth Movement building, were covered under the state’s hate crime provisions, pouring paint on Spokane Pride’s rainbow crosswalks did not qualify.
The existing law stipulates that individuals can be charged with a hate crime if they maliciously and intentionally damage or destroy the property of a “victim or another person” based on specified characteristics, including race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability.
Billig highlighted the omission of “hateful defacement” of public property from the law, underscoring the need for expansion.
Senate Bill 5917, championed by Billig and passed with a 35-14 vote on Friday, seeks to rectify this gap by extending hate crime protections to encompass public property.
Billig asserted that this amendment would enhance community safety and foster a sense of security among residents.
In an official statement, he emphasized that the legislation strengthens hate crime laws by incorporating public spaces and symbols of inclusivity, while condemning such reprehensible attacks.
However, Senator Mike Padden, representing Spokane Valley, voiced reservations about the bill, questioning whether the proposed changes adequately addressed the issue.
The Senate bill refrains from explicitly mentioning defacing public property but rather replaces “the victim” with “another person” in the existing statute delineating hate crime criteria. Proponents argue that this alteration suffices to achieve the desired outcome.
Padden expressed skepticism about this distinction, arguing that victims of hate crimes can still exist on public property.
The bill now proceeds to the state House of Representatives for further deliberation.