State House News Service 

Boston, February 24, 1999--Gov. Paul Cellucci today unveiled a new hate crimes initiative targeting youths, who, according to recent statistics, commit about two-thirds of all reported hate crimes. 

At a State House press conference this morning, the governor said that while the number of reported hate crimes declined slightly from 1996 to 1997, the administration wants to "redouble" its preventive efforts, especially in reaching kids. 

"Hate crimes are neither indiscriminate nor random," Cellucci said, citing the beating death last year of Matthew Shepard, an openly gay man in Wisconsin, and the Texas dragging death of James Byrd Jr., a black man, by three white men.  One of the white men, John William King, was found guilty of capital murder yesterday and now could face the death penalty. 

While common street crime "attacks society's sense of security," Cellucci said "crimes of ignorance, prejudice and hatred attack society's very soul." 

The public awareness campaign centers around a new Web site, www.stopthehate.org, that allows individuals to report hate crimes and find information on resources for victims.  The site - which was developed by the Student Civil Rights Project of the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes - also includes a journal section where victims can write about their experiences. 

According to 1997 statistics, people under age 20 commit about two-thirds of all hate crimes reported in the state.  The same age bracket comprises about a third of all victims of hate crimes. 

Lt. Gov. Jane Swift said some progress has been made, but she cited a report that found a shift in recruitment strategies by hate groups toward college-bound teenagers.  The report, undertaken by the Alabama-based human rights group Southern Poverty Law Center, also found an "explosion" in the number of hate-based Web sites: from 163 sites in 1997 to 254 sites in 1998. 

"We need to make sure that as a government, we're doing everything possible not only to promote the tolerance and the diversity and the civility that's important for our culture, but to give students, particularly, the tools they need to combat these messages of hate that are being bombarded to them whether through the Internet or other means," Swift said. 

Starting next month, the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes will launch an informational campaign targeting teenagers, distributing 5,000 posters to middle and high schools, and handing out 30,000 wallet-sized pamphlets 
with information on hate crime reporting and resources.  On March 14, the state will release a 30-second public service announcement for TV.  The campaign will be funded from a $150,000 US Justice Department grant and matching funds from the state. 

Public Safety Secretary Jane Perlov described high-profile cases as a "bomb that was just waiting to explode," and said more attention should be paid to everyday cases that don't make headlines. 

"Although we may not like to hear these stories, we cannot and will not ignore them," she said.  "These incidents leave lasting emotional scars on their innocent victims and ultimately damage our neighborhoods and our sense of community." 

Jeremy Mahoney, a 32-year-old openly gay man, said victims of hate crimes suffer "isolation, vulnerability and a loss of control . . . concerns and fear of retribution from the perpetrator," which leads to underreporting. Mahoney told of being accosted four years ago in a Kingston diner by two 
men who taunted him and talked about "beating up fags." 

"Their comments got more vicious and more vocal.  I was very overwhelmed by it," he said.  "My initial response was to get up and leave.  I didn't address either of these two guys, and there's a big part of that I still carry with me. I let two individuals rob me of my sense of self." 

Several years later, at Massassoit Community College in Brockton, Mahoney said banners and posters belonging to the campus Gay/Straight Alliance were repeatedly stolen or defaced.  As a member, he reported it to campus authorities and through the Web site. 

"This time I made a difference," he said.  "Through this Web site, I received tremendous support and assistance.  In reporting this incident, I regained my sense of control and sense of empowerment."