Office of Racial Equity supports H.118, urges broader steps to prevent hate crimes

The Vermont Office of Racial Equity told the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 10 it supports H.118 as passed by the House while urging lawmakers to take additional steps to prevent hate crimes.

The testimony, delivered by Angela Lazo Jimenez, policy staff at the Office of Racial Equity, said the bill’s recognition of group impact and its move toward person-centered terminology are important but only “one step” in a broader strategy to reduce violence and fear among historically marginalized communities.

Lazo Jimenez opened with personal context and local examples, saying discriminatory threats create fear beyond the individual victims. “These kind of things happen in our state,” she said, recounting an incident in which a neighbor threatened to burn a Latino family’s house and statements urging “Latino people should go to their original countries.” She also referenced an attack…