Noah Arbit Releases Policy Plan on Hate Crimes and Extremism as ADL Audit Reports Skyrocketing Antisemitism

Noah Arbit Releases Plan on Hate Crimes and Extremism as ADL Audit Reports Skyrocketing Antisemitism

Innovative proposal to “transform Michigan from national laggard to national leader in hate crimes prevention and prosecution” central to Arbit’s campaign to flip key battleground district home to largest Jewish community in Michigan, significant Chaldean, Black, Asian, Muslim, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ communities

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — Today, Noah Arbit (D-West Bloomfield), candidate for state representative in Michigan’s 20th House District, released a comprehensive proposal of legislative solutions to address rising hate crimes and extremism in Michigan, just as the Anti-Defamation League issued its annual audit reporting the highest level of incidents targeting Jews and Jewish institutions on record.

“As the ADL report reveals, extremist violence targeting Jews and Jewish institutions has exploded in Michigan and across the United States for the better part of a decade, and Michigan’s Jewish community deserves solutions,” Arbit said Tuesday. “As state representative for West Bloomfield and Commerce, I will work relentlessly to pass a robust package of innovative, critical reforms that will transform Michigan from national laggard to national leader in hate crimes prevention and prosecution.”

Centered in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan’s 20th District is not only the most Jewish house district in the state, but home to one of the largest Chaldean/Assyrian communities in Michigan, and significant Black, Asian, Muslim, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ communities. Confronting rising hate crimes is a top priority for Arbit, and his plan encompasses a number of key objectives, including:

• Expanding the scope of protected classes covered by Michigan’s “ethnic intimidation” statute to include sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, real or perceived physical or mental disability, age, citizenship or immigration status, and language;
• Passing a standalone statute criminalizing institutional vandalism targeting religious and communal institutions and property, including houses of worship;
• Mandating cultural competency education as a component of sentencing for hate crime convictions, a successful policy in several other states; and
• Increasing funding and training for law enforcement agencies, prosecuting attorneys, and the Office of Michigan Attorney General for identifying and prosecuting hate crimes and interfacing with victims

Arbit continued, “As a Jew, and as a gay man, rising hate crimes is deeply personal to me, and my commitment to addressing this issue is long-standing. In 2019, in the aftermath of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, I founded the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus to organize community members against hate and white supremacy; last year, I spearheaded the first-ever Racial Justice Advisory Council at the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, and helped establish a partnership to assist in the prosecution of hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community. Now, I’m running for state representative to continue this fight: to make Michigan a national leader in hate crimes prevention and prosecution, because I will never stand by while any community suffers from violence and hate.”

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