Lawmakers once again push to strengthen state's hate crimes laws
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Four and a half years after a gunman killed 11 worshippers inside a Pittsburgh synagogue, lawmakers are once again pushing to strengthen the state's hate crimes laws.
As the federal trial gets underway in Downtown Pittsburgh, many of the families impacted by what happened at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill traveled to Harrisburg to send a message that they will continue to stand against hate and want their laws to do the same.
"When people are attacked or threatened or harassed for who they are, how they look, or who they love, individuals in every community start to wonder is somebody going to try to hurt me?" state Representative Dan Frankel said.
A renewed push Monday from Frankel. He stood on the steps of the Capitol and delivered news of four bills, strategically unveiled as the federal trial begins.
"We lost 11 souls from the synagogues of Tree of Life, Dor Hadash and New Light. We are incredibly honored to have many of the loved ones of those killed here with us today," said Frankel.
Maggie Feinstein with the 10.27 Healing Partnership told KDKA-TV that standing on the Capitol steps is a way for victims to take action.
"Senators have named the bill H.B. 1027 to honor the memories of the 11 who were taken, and so that also means a lot to them that's a way we memorialize the event in a different way that hopefully has lasting significance," said Feinstein.
Frankel and state Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa both represent Squirrel Hill and say these bills will:
- Expand protections to cover the LGBTQ+ community & people with disabilities
- Strengthen civil and criminal penalties
- Increase training for police & educators
- Encourage reporting of hate-based incidents in schools & expand the Safe2Say Something program
"When Jews are attacked in Pittsburgh for their faith, a Chinese American shop owner in Allentown gets scared to close up shop, a transgender teenager in Philly decides not to attend an LGBTQ prom," said Frankel.
That's why he says we can no longer address our growing hate crimes with "40-year-old laws." The state's Commission on Crime already gave millions in security funding.
"Providing for security funding for bigger doors, better doors, bars on windows and the like to make certain folks who want to pray in their community have the opportunity to do so in a safe manner," said Costa.
But it's not enough, he says.
"Whether it's about data collection, whether it's making sure that we're educating not only our police officers but our communities about what this type of hate looks like, we have to take steps to be able to do that," Costa said. "We have to take steps to eradicate hate and that's what this legislation is doing."