1. Symbolic and Practical: Maryland
Passes Historic Hate Crimes Bill
Wendy Grace Evans
Violent crimes committed against people who are homeless in Maryland
now face stifferpenalties. Michael Stoops of The National Coalition for the
Homeless,Kevin Lindamood of Maryland’s Healthcare for the Homeless,
and Antonia Fasanelli of the Homeless Persons RepresentationProject
speak about the passage of Senate Bill 151. The bill makes Maryland the
first state in the nation to include individuals who are homeless as a
protected class under its hate crimes law.
On May 7, 2009,Maryland became the first state to add people who are
homeless as a protected classto its hate crimes law. The new law
represents a significant victory for human dignity. Violence against people
who are homeless is a national tragedy. Between 1999 and 2007,774
documented acts of violence were committed against people who are
homeless,and 217 of these attacks resulted in death.
Antonia Fasanelli is Executive Director of The Homeless Persons
RepresentationProject.She points out that violent attacks against the most
vulnerable members of our society representa situation that has been
pervasive and ignored for too long.
“Homelessness is a dangerous condition,” explains Fasanelli, who has
testified about the reality of violence on the streets.
Maryland has taken an important step, and is the only state in the nation to
have passed a hate crimes law protecting people who are homeless.The
bill provides for increased penalties and fines for those found guilty of
attacks committed against someone because they are homeless.The
penalties range from three years in prison and five thousand dollars for a
misdemeanorcharge, to twenty years and twenty thousand dollars for a
felony charge.
“It’s important to send the message that acts of violence are unacceptable.
More importantly, the passage of Senate Bill 151 has given us an

2. opportunity to talk publicly about homelessness and talk about the real
crime which is homelessness itself,” says Kevin Lindamood,Vice President
of External Affairs at Healthcare for the Homeless in Baltimore.
Michael Stoops of the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has been
closelytracking violence against people who are homeless forthe past ten
years. He believes that homelessness hate crimes should be added to
state and federalstatutes.
“It will serve as both a symbolic and practical message that attacks will not
be tolerated,” offers Stoops
.
NCH is involved in community education around this issue in schools and
churches. The organization is working with individuals who were formerly
homeless through the Homeless Speakers Bureau. Speakers educate
people nationwide about the severity of the problem.They have also
received a major grant from the AmeriCorpsprogram and have 30 VISTA
volunteers currently working in Florida and Georgia. They are slated to
expand to other states with the same model.
“You would assume it would be easy to add homelessness to the hate
crimes statute, but it took ten years for sexual orientation to be added,”
says Stoops.
Since 2006,a dozen states have considered adding homelessness to the
their statute. Maryland’s success came after four years of lobbying and
educating lawmakers to the extent of the problem.Currently a bill is
pending in Washington D.C. and Stoops is hopeful it will pass. Bills are also
pending in California and soonto be in Ohio.
“We are trying to get homelessness added to a federal statute, but if we
have to do this state by state, we will,” offers Stoops.
The text of Maryland’s historic state law declares:
“Forthe purpose of including homeless persons and a person’s gender
within the scope of certain prohibitions against committing certain crimes
against certain persons,damaging certain property of certain persons,
burning certain objects,and damaging certain buildings with which certain
persons or groups have contacts or associations or under circumstances
exhibiting animosity against a certain person or group; prohibiting the
attempt to commit a crime against a certain person because of the race,
color, religious beliefs,sexual orientation, gender,or national origin of that
person,or because the person is homeless;establishing that a certain
penalty applies to certain offenses;defining a certain term; and generally
relating to hate crimes.”

3. ORGANIZATION: Center for Mental Health Services,Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration
PUBLICATIONDATE: 2009
LOCATION:Rockville, MD, USA