Word: laws
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Above all, the passage of the hate-crimes law is essential to ensuring that all citizens feel protected under the law and that none should fear for their safety due to the color of their skin, the nature of their beliefs, or the gender of the person they love...
...during which violence was used as a way to intimidate and oppress African-Americans. Vicious crimes such as lynchings and beatings were intended to make the members of an entire racial group feel unwelcome and unsafe. The development of hate-crime legislation, beginning with the 1969 Federal Hate Crimes Law, became an important way to both discourage such acts and diminish the culture of prejudice and discrimination that often implicitly condoned them. The new hate-crimes law is an admirable continuation of efforts to curb bias-driven attacks...
Moreover, the law does not only guide the behavior of citizens—it is also a reflection of societal values. Holding hate crimes to special standards makes an important statement against the gross intolerance that motivates these violent acts. It says that crimes driven by racism, religious bigotry, and now homophobia have no place in our society...
...drug problem producing this violence is unavoidable even in the “safest” parts of the country. After only a week, my family stumbled upon a murder scene and learned of the death of a close friend at the hands of La Familia. A recent law to legalize possession of small amounts of drugs in Mexico is a step in the right direction, but much more remains to be done...
Mexico has finally altered its approach to the drug problem, if only slightly. In August, Mexico legalized the possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. While this may bring about slight improvements in the justice system in Mexico, the law is unlikely to halt the violence that stems in large part from Calderón’s policies and the consumption habits of the U.S. These two forces are undermining the stability of Mexico and will soon threaten the U.S as well...