Strengthening Michigan’s Hate Crimes Law and Countering Violent Extremism

As State Representative, Noah will work tirelessly to:

• Make Michigan the national leader in combating and prosecuting hate crimes by implementing a multidimensional, innovative approach to reforming existing laws and implementing new ones
• Expand the scope of protected classes covered by Michigan’s antiquated, 1980s era “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
• Introduce and pass a standalone statute criminalizing vandalism targeting religious and communal institutions and property, including houses of worship
• Pass a sentence enhancement statute for crimes motivated by hate or bias to provide local prosecutors an additional, more flexible tool in their arsenal to ensure perpetrators of hate crimes are held accountable
• Mandate cultural competency education as a component of hate crime sentences, which has seen success in a number of other states
• Increase funding and training for law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial offices in identifying potential hate crimes when they occur and, critically, interfacing with victims of hate crimes in the course of an investigation
• Increase penalties for those convicted of hate crimes and eliminate structural features of Michigan’s existing law that disincentivize prosecutors from charging hate crimes more frequently
• Champion expanded resources for community organizations such as the ADL, NAACP, and Equality Michigan that are dedicated to rooting out racism, antisemitism, homophobia, bigotry, and all forms of hate and extremism in our communities