hate crimes. “In 1998, there was a 14.3 percent increase in reported hate crimes against gays and lesbians according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program, making them the third highest category reported to the FBI.”(HRC) Let it be reminded that the increase was reported before the establishment of the HCPA, although it is also reported that a decrease in the number of hate crimes has occurred between the time periods of 1998 and 1999. Although it continues throughout the years to seem as though hate crimes are diminishing, they will never completely be gone until citizens of this nation take more responsibility for their actions. Thus the many citizens of this nation must take responsibility for what is happening around them; they must take a stand against the hate and prejudices in the country. Many people are standing back watching these incidences ensue everyday without actually attempting to do something about them. This is due to the circulating thought that these people seem to obtain that they as one person can not make a difference, when in all truth they can make more of a difference then they may ever imagine. Take for example the case in Florida during the past presidential election a few months back. A few weeks before the debate in Florida arose, a separate controversy occurred in the vary state that the subsiding one is located in. A young African American man by the name of Luckson Lambert began to publicly denounce presidential candidate, George W. Bush, after his brother who is governor of Florida, Jeb Bush angered Lambert “by declaring an end to racial set-asides meant to help women and minorities overcome disadvantages in getting jobs and education.” Lambert, along with other African American residents of Florida, declared that they were going to oppose voting for Bush in the election.(Royse) This case in point is so vital because of its proof...
