'Craigslist killer' case highlights the plight of America's jobless

[Emily]

I think it's time to consider classifying the extermination of older workers as a hate crime.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/19/craigslist-killer-plight-america-jobless

'Craigslist killer' case highlights the plight of America's jobless

Ron Sanson tells how he was one of dozens who replied to a Craigslist job ad allegedly used to lure men to their deaths
Chris McGreal in Ohio
guardian.co.uk, Monday 19 December 2011 11.35 EST
[snip]
The victims were in their late 40s or older, an age when it is often harder to land work. Some were drifters, others had moved from one low-paying job to another.

But there were men like Sanson, too, who just a few years ago regarded themselves as solidly middle-class and prosperous...

 

[Missouriwatcher]

Re: 'Craigslist killer' case highlights the plight of America's jobless

Classifying won't stop a killer. IMO

 

[Emily]

Re: 'Craigslist killer' case highlights the plight of America's jobless

Not classifying hate crimes as hate crimes might implicitly give approval to targeting the elderly unemployed and homeless, though.

CBS did a story on the epidemic of teens beating the homeless, and they covered a program to teach kids sensitivity to the homeless and recognition that they are human, too. I'm surprised that would even be necessary.

This was back in 2008, and it would be interesting to see how things have trended since then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mbbvncks9c

 

[Emily]

Re: 'Craigslist killer' case highlights the plight of America's jobless

It looks like the trend of violence against homeless people is on the rise, (and maybe against elderly people in general.) I can understand concern about the effectiveness of laws protecting special groups, though. Sometimes it seems the laws, (like some domestic terrorism laws), only protect the powerful, and the laws protecting the weak are either ineffective, or transfer the hate and rage onto another powerless group.

Homeless people advocates are trying to get them included under hate crime legislation, so I'll have to think about it after reading more of the pros and cons.

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/advocacy/homeless_hate_crimes.html

 

[Missouriwatcher]

Re: 'Craigslist killer' case highlights the plight of America's jobless

"Nearly two-thirds of all known perpetrators of hate crimes are teenagers or young adults. When appropriate, a victim-offender restitution program or offender counseling program can be an effective sanction for juveniles.

Educational counseling programs for young perpetrators of hate crime can help dispel stereotypes, prejudice, fears, and other motivators of hate crime."
http://www.justice.gov/crs/pubs/htecrm.htm