May 6, 2019

The Honorable Ted Davis, Jr. The Honorable Lee Zachary House Judiciary Committee, Senior Chair House Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair North Carolina General Assembly North Carolina General Assembly 300 N. Salisbury Street, Rm. 417B 300 N. Salisbury Street, Rm. 420 Raleigh, NC 27603 Raleigh, NC 27603

The Honorable Sarah Stevens The Honorable David R. Lewis House Speaker Pro Tempore Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House Judiciary Committee, Chair House Committee, Chair North Carolina General Assembly North Carolina General Assembly 300 N. Salisbury Street, Rm. 419 16 West Jones Street, Rm. 2301 Raleigh, NC 27603 Raleigh, NC 27601

The Honorable The Honorable House Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair Rules, Calendar and Operations of the North Carolina General Assembly House Committee, Vice Chair 300 N. Salisbury Street, Rm. 530 North Carolina General Assembly Raleigh, NC 27603 16 West Jones Street, Rm. 2207 Raleigh, NC 27601 The Honorable David Rogers House Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair The Honorable John A. Torbett North Carolina General Assembly Rules, Calendar and Operations of the 300 N. Salisbury Street, Rm. 418C House Committee, Vice Chair Raleigh, NC 27603 North Carolina General Assembly 300 N. Salisbury Street, Rm. 538 Raleigh, NC 27603

Dear Reps. Davis, Stevens, Hall, Rogers, Zachary, Lewis, Szoka and Torbett:

As a leading anti-hate organization founded in 1913 to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment for all, we at ADL know what happens when hate goes unchecked; hate incidents and bias crimes damage the fabric of our society and fragment communities, and the failure to adequately address them can cause isolated incidents to explode into widespread fear and community tension.

Unfortunately, bias-motivated crimes are on the rise here in North Carolina and across the nation. And, following the horrific events in Charleston, Oak Creek, Pittsburgh, and now Poway, people of all faiths are increasingly fearful of going to their house of worship. We fear these trends will only continue absent clear steps by this legislature to strengthen and improve our state’s hate crime laws.

Anti-Defamation League, 1100 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 1020, Washington, DC 20036 [email protected] T: (202) 452-8310 F: (202) 296-2371 www.dc.adl.org

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S.B. 209/H.B. 312), sponsored by Sen. Jay Chaudhuri and Rep. , is one such measure. This bill presents a comprehensive approach to bolstering North Carolina’s ability to investigate, prosecute and prevent future bias crimes. It also highlights the important role that law enforcement plays in working with communities to restore faith and trust in the wake of bias-related incidents.

By coupling a broader statute and stronger criminal penalties with a commitment to additional training for law enforcement and clear reporting requirements by the state’s Bureau of Investigation, this proposed legislation sends a clear message that here in North Carolina, crimes that target individuals simply because of who they are or how they worship are unacceptable and will face serious consequences.

Now more than ever before, we must stand united against hate and address it, not only after it happens, but by enforcing norms and standing for our shared values long before hate crimes take place. We therefore ask that you set a formal hearing on the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, so that the committees of jurisdiction can hear directly from communities across the state regarding why stronger hate crime laws are needed in North Carolina.

Sincerely,

Doron F. Ezickson Regional Director, ADL Washington D.C.

CC:

The Honorable Tim Moore, Speaker of the House The Honorable Nasif Majeed The Honorable Jay Chaudhuri

Anti-Defamation League, 1100 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 1020, Washington, DC 20036 [email protected] T: (202) 452-8310 F: (202) 296-2371 www.dc.adl.org