Santa Monica College Prez: Report Hate Speech

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The president of Santa Monica College urged students to report hate speech but does the warning contain a loophole wherein the first amendment can disappear? “If you are the target of hate speech or witness it, you should immediately contact the Santa Monica College Police Department at (310) 434-4300 or submit an anonymous report to campus police via the LiveSafe app or www.smc.edu/Anonymous-Reporting,” Kathryn E. Jeffrey urged stuents in an e-mail. “Do not engage with the individual causing such an incident.”

“When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime. To find out more about what constitutes a hate crime, see page 12 of the Santa Monica College Police Department’s 2017 Annual Security Report (PDF).”

We did. It says: “Hate crimes, as defined by the California Penal Code, are any act of physical intimidation, physical harassment, physical force, physical violence, or the threat of physical force and/or physical violence that is directed against any person or group of persons because of the ethnicity, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or political or religious beliefs of that person or group. Additionally, hate crimes may include the following: larceny-theft, simple assault, intimidation, destruction, damage, or vandalism of property.”

“SMC does not condone hate violence and is charged with ensuring that the rights guaranteed by state law and the U.S. Constitution are protected for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or political or religious beliefs.”