Man arrested in NY on hate-crime charges for throwing Quran in toilet

[kurth]

Hate-crime arrests in Quran desecrations at Pace University
July 27, 2007, 8:33 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) _ A 23-year-old man was arrested Friday on hate-crime charges after he threw a Quran in a toilet at Pace University on two separate occasions, police said.

Stanislav Shmulevich of Brooklyn was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and aggravated harassment, both hate crimes, police said. It was unclear if he was a student at the school. A message left at the Shmulevich home was not immediately returned.

The Islamic holy book was found in a toilet at Pace's lower Manhattan campus by a teacher on Oct. 13. A student discovered another book in a toilet on Nov. 21, police said...

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--vandalismquran0727jul27,0,1670859,print.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

[EST]

1. Is he purchasing, legally, the copies he's putting in toilets"

If so, while he may hate, and, perhaps, even consider this a hate crime, it would be difficult to construe this as more than free speech, public nuisance, and destruction of public property.

[MADem]

2. Yep. Mister Schmulevich seems like a general pain in the ass and a hopper clogger

who is looking for negative attention. He should be charged with vandalism...IMO.

[Warpy]

8. It's potentially hard on the plumbing

but the main focus is leaving hate messages for Muslims. Spray paint swastikas can be scrubbed from temple walls and Qurans can be fished out of toilets, so neither is permanent. But yes, both are hate crimes and the twisted little bastard needs to be discouraged from escalating the behavior or even duplicating it yet again.

This kind of hate can lead to retaliation and that's another reason the behavior needs to be discouraged.

[Always AskWhy]

99. Question......

If I went out and bought 100 Quran's and ran them through my shredder,
would that be construed as a hate crime?

[BlooInBloo]

3. And who was the victim?

[Kingshakabobo]

21. A protected class of people. .....in this case, Muslim students....

I'm a little torn on this one. The motivated crime is not THAT serious - vandalism? trespassing? I suppose one could make the same case there is NO 'victim' if some asshole burned a cross on the lawn of an African American school or youth center? Or hung a noose from the school sign?

I think hate-crimes are pretty cut and dried when it comes to violent crimes....but this? Could one compare it to the "Piss Christ" display? Or maybe one could say "Piss Christ" was CLEARLY meant to be art where as the toilet incident was done "on the sly" during another, admittedly, minor crime. In other words, the perpetrator CLEARLY KNEW they were doing something wrong - there was criminal intent.



hmmmm

[Tulum_Moon]

37. What do you mean by "protected class of people"?

Were you being sarcastic? Is one class of people more deserving "protection" than others?

[Kingshakabobo]

43. That's a bit of a clumsy term I used.......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_class
Protected class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Protected class is a term used in United States anti-discrimination law. The term describes groups of people who are protected from discrimination and harassment. The following characteristics are considered "Protected Classes" and persons cannot be discriminated against based on these characteristics:

Race - Federal: Civil Rights Act of 1964
Ethnicity
Religion or sect - Federal: Civil Rights Act of 1964
Color - Federal: Civil Rights Act of 1964
National origin - Federal: Civil Rights Act of 1964
Age (40 and over) - Federal: Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
Sex - Federal: Equal Pay Act of 1963 & Civil Rights Act of 1964
Familial status (Housing, cannot discriminate for having children, exception for senior housing)
Sexual orientation (in some jurisdictions and not in others)
Disability status - Federal: Vocational Rehabilitation and Other Rehabilitation Services of 1973 & Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Veteran status - Federal Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974
Political affiliation

[AngryAmish]

47. Legal term of art

[BlooInBloo]

75. A class action crime? lol!

[Kingshakabobo]

79. Do you have some problem with the term "protected class"?

Or are you just trying to ba a jerk?

[BlooInBloo]

92. Idiotically false dilemma.

[Kingshakabobo]

95. Thanks for providing us with.......

..........your 12 words of wisdom in this entire thread. I don't know how the thread would have had any value without your keen insight.

I'll stand by the jerk comment. Thanks.

[barb162]

80. I agree. If he he threw a bible in the pot would Christians be a protected class

and would it be a hate crime? I doubt it.

[Mike Daniels]

82. I was wondering about Piss Christ as well - or the Virgin Mary splattered with dung

Why does immersing a representative symbol of a one religion in piss or feces qualify as art in certain cases while in other cases it's considered a hate crime?

If the accused took a picture of the Koran floating in the toilet, framed it and hung it on a wall, would it be considered "art" at that point?

[Kingshakabobo]

85. I suppose one could argue context is everything......

1.) This was done during the commission of another crime(vandalism & tresspassing)... 2.) It was done surreptitiously which tends to show a criminal intent.


I suppose the KKK is free to burn crosses on their OWN property at their family get-to-gethers.........but take that same cross, under cover of night, and place it on an African American family's lawn; you have a pretty clear act of a hate crime.

That might bee too extreme an example but I think it makes the point of intent and context.

Another example might be George "maccaca" Allen and his famous hang-man's noose he had displayed in his office. While dubious, considering the source, it was pretty clear all it proved was his poor taste in decorating and general assholery............take that same noose, nail it to an African American's door and it's a WHOLE DIFFERENT story.

If Stanislav Shmulevich wanted to make a political statement, maybe he could have secured his own Quran, his own toilet and set up a display on the street corner???????? Or in an art gallery????



edit to add: I should point out that I don't necessarily believe this rises to the level of a hate crime. I think hate crimes should be reserved for violence, threats of violence and intimidation with violent overtones...........the incident in the OP was more insulting than anything. I don't think there were any "threats" involved.

[hughee99]

100. Context???

While I agree with you about the context being important, but you seem to be reading A LOT into the article in order to create your context. The only thing they seem to have connected Mr. Shmuelvich to is putting the Quran in the toilet. He was charged with "criminal mischief and aggravated harassment", not vandalism or trespassing. According to the article, other than the Quran itself, the police have NOT connected Mr. Shmulevich to any other acts of vandalism. Pace has classified the desecration of the book as vandalism, but that doesn't mean it's legally the case in a US court. What "other crime" was he committing when he did this? From the article, it doesn't say anything about trespassing only that they're not sure if he was a student or not. Is there any evidence to show that this was done "surreptitiously", unless you figure that if he was in the bathroom there is a certain degree of privacy that it provides? Is there another article on this that has more information?

[Tesha]

28. Moaning Myrtle! (NT)

[Fridays Child]

4. I'm not sure I agree that throwing the Quran in a toilet constitutes a hate crime.

For a hate crime to have occurred, wouldn't a person, or persons, have to be targeted with physical harm, or the threat of harm, because of their perceived ethnicity, sexual orientation or religious beliefs?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. Painting swatsikas on a Jewish nursing home wall

which was done several years ago in a town where I used to live, was treated as a hate crime, and yet no individual was targets with physical harm or the threat of harm.

[stirlingsliver]

14. Right.

In cases like this, the "victim" is the owner of the property.

The owner has had his or her property vandalized.

That's a crime.

And if the crime is motivated by hatred, it's a hate crime.

[Marrah_G]

84. That is a swatsikas though

It symbolizes the death of jews and hence is a threat of sorts.

The Quran would be equal to the Torah, not the swatsikas.

just my 2 cents

[speakclearly]

93. True, but a religious building

not owned by the people who painted the swastikas, was attacked. The damage was over $250 (the dollar limit designated in the legislation categorizing a hate crime). The Quran was not a building, there is no evidence it was owned by anyone except the person who committed the "crime", and (in paperback) is it unlikely to be valued above the $250 legal limit (try about $9.95, although many are given away on campus as a proselytizing tool).

So, does it even fit the definition of a "hate crime"? Or is it protected speech? (like burning a flag) If this charge stands, it could have serious consequences downstream as any group tries to exercise 1st Ammendment rights by carrying out acts of civil disobedience. Would chanting outside the Israeli embassy be "hate speech"? How about burning in effigy Olmert? Or Pat Robertson? Would paint a peace symbol on an evangelical church be a "hate crime"? How about tipping over a tombstone? Or putting an antiwar message on an Arlington monument or grave (the grave markers are crosses)? Would throwing fake blood on a pastor who was leading an anti-abortion rally be a "hate crime"? We need to think about this! I am sure it will be challenged a long way up the line.

[smirkymonkey]

26. Would it be a hate crime if he threw a bible in the toilet?

[Fridays Child]

32. Not in my opinion.

[dsc]

34. They either both are or neither one is

The law forbids crimes motivated by religious hatred, not by hatred of a minority religion. Someone who commits a crime out of anti Christian animus is just as guilty as one who does so out of anti Muslim animus.

[spoony]

55. Well put

[DemBones DemBones]

57. Exactly. I'd say destroying a Koran or a Bible

is a hate crime but a minor one. Fine the guy, make him pay for replacing the Korans, and make him clean toilets as community service. Make him go for counseling, too.

This is not as bad as when statues at Catholic churches have been broken or swastikas spray-painted on synagogue walls.

And those incidents aren't as bad as when someone is beaten up or even killed because of his or her religion.

If the lesser offenses are treated with appropriate seriousness (but not as if they are equal to murder), it should deter others from similar acts.

[dsc]

66. I don't know if it is or isn't

I would want some underlying crime which was a felony.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

59. Yes, IF...

that happened in a school in Indonesia with 90% Muslim and 8% Christian students. -nt

[beastieboy]

88. I'm an equal opportunity holy book flusher.

They are all full of shit.

[WinkyDink]

5. Is it a similar crime to throw a Bible in said receptacle? How about the Book of Mormon?

The Egyptian Book of the Dead?

[TheFarseer]

10. If it was the original Dead Sea Scrolls

I would be pissed! but not a Koran he probably picked up at Barnes and Noble.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

17. In certain circumstances, yes

If it was, say, the Catholic Bible that was placed in a toilet of the Catholic youth center in a town populated by fundamentalist Protestants, it could be called intimidation. If the Book of Mormon was placed in a toilet at a Mormon center in this same fictional town, it could be construed as a hate crime as well. The same for any religion--if the desecration was done at or near a place where followers of that faith tended to congregate, I think it could be construed as a hate crime.

[WinkyDink]

86. I think this is nuts. It's vandalism at best, same as burning an American flag.

[MrSlayer]

6. This is ridiculous.

Throwing a book into a toilet is not a hate crime. Where the hell are we headed as a society?

[Kingshakabobo]

23. What if the state can PROVE it was done to intimidate?

Or better yet, what if the suspect ADMITS it was done to intimidate? An admission is not out of the realm of possibilities from the sort of mental midget that commits an act such as this?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

94. hwo do yu intimidate someone by flushing a BOOK?

what a load...

sP

[TheFarseer]

7. this might be hate, but I can't see a crime

This almost seems like a set-up by Repugs to get their base fired up.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

15. Malicious mischief

if it plugged up the plumbing. Trespassing if the person wasn't a student and was on school grounds. There's two crimes.

[LisaL]

64. Trespassing?

Is everyone who is not a student and goes on university's grounds trespassing?
A lot of people could be guilty then.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

67. It is a charge that can be used if

the person goes on school property and does something else illegal. Or if there have been a rash of non-students hanging around bathrooms to rape female students. Then the campus police can clamp down on non-students being around.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. It kind of depends on circumstances, doesn't it?

If the books in toilets are in places where there is a high liklihood of being found by Muslim students or teachers, there is a definite intent of intimidation. If not, it's just a book in a toilet, and there are no laws against destroying books. A hate crime is defined as adjunct to a primary crime, a crime committed to intimidate a population. That's how a swastika sprayed on a wall is just grafitti (misdemeanor crime) but a swastika sprayed on a synagog wall is a hate crime.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

16. You've got it

A lot depends upon the circumstances. There was a crime committed-malicious mischief and possibly trespassing-whether it comes up to the bar of hate crimes depends on the circumstances you described.

[sarcasmo]

11. If I flush a bible down the toilet that is a hate crime too?

I would like an answer from one of our resident legal eagles. I think this is a slippery slope. If this is so, does that make flushing any book by Scientology a crime too?

[RaleighNCDUer]

18. Lets not get into apples v oranges here.

Flushing scientology books is a public service.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

19. Where and when might be a factor

If it was done in your own home, I'd think not (I'd also think it a stupid thing to do to your own plumbing). But let's say that there is a meeting of evangelicals (or Scientologists, take your pick) being held at a local hotel. The times of the meeting are posted, the public invited, and then the book was found. It would appear that the act of putting the book in the toilet was directly related to the meeting being held, and could be construed as an act motivated by hate.

Note that I have not added any other actions to this scenario. I have heard of ecumenical meetings after 911 that received death threats-one in Dallas TX in particular. The threats were taken seriously by the police, and protection was given to the people attending the meeting and workshops. If a holy book had been placed in a toilet at the place where this group met, it would, I am sure, been considered another threat on the participants, and if the person who did it was caught, they would have been charged with a hate crime and intimidation.

[stirlingsliver]

12. Criminal Mischief and Aggrevated Harassment, MOTIVATED BY

Criminal Mischeif and Aggrevated Harassment, both motivated by obvious hated.

Sounds like hate crimes to me.

Through the book at him.

[indepat]

22. Yeah, let's incarcerate him for 25 years at a public cost of maybe $1 million: that'll

teach hime a lesson and stop these hate crimes.

[LisaL]

29. The guy could be in big trouble for this-

I wonder what the penalty is for what he is charged with? He needs to get himself a good defense lawyer, or he really could end up spending a long time in prison.

[stirlingsliver]

58. 25 Years?

25 years seems a bit harsh.

To me.

I'd go for five years, though.

[LisaL]

65. And then everyone complains prisons are overcrowded.

Gotta build lots of prison if you are gonna lock up your book flushers and the such for five years.

[indepat]

69. Five years is better and would only cost the public about $200,000 to warehouse this hate criminal

for that period of time. Even better yet, suspend most of the jail time and give the offender some serious time performing public service, an economic plus.

[LisaL]

71. Good community service for him (if he did it) would be going around

cleaning toilets.

[indepat]

73. Here, here!

[ncabot22]

20. I don't consider this a hate crime

The guy is wrong, to be sure, for clogging toilets but no hate crime was committed. No one was hurt by his actions. I remember seeing a Marilyn Manson concert where he ripped out pages of a bible and tossed them aside. No big deal. It is a book, not a person. When we start charging people with hate crimes for destroying books, what is next? Today, would Andres Serrano be charged with a hate crime against Catholics for putting a crucifix in urine. Would the artist who had a portrait of the Virgin Mary covered in elephant shit be charged with a hate crime? I would hope NOT.

Cite the guy for clogging toilets but to say he committed a hate crime is wrong.

[LisaL]

24. Based on his name, he could be jewish.

Personally, I wonder how the police would know who did it. The books were found in the toilet. The article doesn't say anyone witnessed anybody stuffing the books into the toilet.

[Kingshakabobo]

25. Here's another link/article... Apparently, he is a former student.

There is an interesting quote from his roomate...



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/07/28/2007-07-28_student_nabbed_in_koran_dunk-1.html


snip:

Stanislav Shmulevich, 23, was confronted by detectives with a surveillance photo of himself leaving a Pace meditation room where the Muslim holy books were stored, police sources said.

He made "admitting statements" after seeing the photograph, a source said.

The suspect's roommate in Gravesend, Brooklyn, said she was stunned by the charges.

"It's impossible. He was defending the Koran," said Ola Petrovich, 24, an online saleswoman. "We had that conversation. He said, 'Don't criticize the Koran if you haven't read it.'

"Why would he do something so stupid?"

Shmulevich is suspected in two bias incidents at the school last fall.

On Oct. 13, a teacher discovered a paperback Koran in a toilet in a second-floor bathroom. On Nov. 21, a student found a submerged Koran in the same bathroom, cops said.

The suspect is a Ukrainian immigrant who moved to the U.S. as a boy. He's been splitting time between his Brooklyn flat and his parents' Staten Island home, and works at a European banking firm, Petrovich said.

snip

[NorthernSpy]

38. apparently, the books didn't belong to him, and the toilets didn't belong to him...

Whether this was a hate crime is for a court to decide after weighing all the evidence and considering all the relevant statutes.

But this was a crime of some sort -- not Constitutionally protected free speech.

Stanislav Shmulevich, 23, was confronted by detectives with a surveillance photo of himself leaving a Pace meditation room where the Muslim holy books were stored, police sources said.

That would seem to suggest that the destroyed books were not his (at least, that's the impression I got).

[Kingshakabobo]

44. Ah, I missed that. I think that moves it further down the road... doesn't it?

[Warren DeMontague]

53. If they're not his books, then at the very least he's guilty of destruction of property. nt

[TX-RAT]

89. Now we have a crime.

[shadowknows69]

27. "Torn am I on this law" -Yoda

I agree that if someone harms personal property or health of anyone for reasons of hatred toward faith, sex, race, orientation, etc. etc. etc. they should be punished to at least the fullest extent of the law and probably more. Things like this just make me worry about the line between "hate" crime and "thought" crime.

[matcom]

30. Fucking stupid

it is a book.

just like the bible.

a symbol.

just like a flag.

no hate crime here. why should anyone go to jail for throwing a book in a toilet? what if it was "Green Eggs & Ham"?

"Harry Potter?"

a cookbook?

big fucking deal.

throw away books, flags, Darwin fish, crosses made in China

why is this a hate crime?

[Perky]

33. What if were a Gay pride Flag?

I have already said that throwing a Holy book in the Toilet is deipicable but not a Hate Crime. Does the same rule apply to other symbols of expression?

[matcom]

35. same thing applies

they are symbols. NOTHING more.

throw a gay pride flag in the toilet. i'll probably punch you but you shouldn't get jail time.

people who worship symbol's don't interest me anyway.

throw a gay PERSON in a toilet? enjoy your Attica stay

[Perky]

36. I agree completely.

And appreciate the consistency.

[KittyWampus]

42. it's not just about the book, it's about the intimidation. Is hanging a noose nothing more than

posting a symbol of the ole wild west, especially when it's put in, say, the black studen league building?

Is spray painting a swastika on a temple just any old graffiti?

How about burning a cross?

These acts are meant to intimidate and terrorize.

[matcom]

45. in my mind, yes

free speech and all that. you want to hate? feel free. ACT on that hate over another person? lock 'em up

[KittyWampus]

49. so bias in the commission of a crime shouldn't be a factor? what about gay bashing?

your argument is basically the same as those who say convict someone for assault but ignore the motivation of the assailant.

The point being, our justice system takes motivation and bias into account when changing individuals of a crime.

ARe you saying that should not be the case?

[matcom]

52. i don't think it is a crime to flush a book

i think it is protected speech.

[jonnyblitz]

60. Marilyn Manson would tear up a bible and throw the remains

into the audience when he sang "antichrist superstar" during his 'Dead to the World" tour in the '90's. :shrug: (the place would go NUTS with joy when he did this, btw)

[matcom]

62. that isn't his right?

:shrug:

it's a BOOK

he has every right IMHO

[jonnyblitz]

68. i would think. it never occured to me that someone would

consider it a hate crime. :shrug:

[LisaL]

63. I guess as long as he didn't flush it down the toilet.

[Nevernose]

78. It IS a crime if it's someone else's toilet.

Then it's vandalism. If the commission of the crime is designed to terrorize or intimidate a specific group of people, then a hate crime addition is tacked on.

But at the least it is a crime; it is vandalism.

Flushing it in your OWN toilet? Now THAT'S protected speech.

[WinkyDink]

87. Let's see: a noose just MIGHT be seen as an ACTUAL means of mayhem;

a Swastika IS THE symbol of mass murder; and BURNING anything, let alone a KKK cross, is accepted as a threat.

A Bible in a toilet? Is flushing a threat? Where is the "intimidation"?

[Perky]

31. I think it is an utterly dispicable thing to do.....but this is not a hate crime.

:shrug:

[NorthernSpy]

39. it might possibly be a hate crime, given that he vandalized other people's property...

... in the course of his "free speech".

In any case, this is really something for the court to decide. We don't have all the facts, and we aren't familiar with all the applicable laws.

[LisaL]

40. We rarely have all the facts and familiar

with all the applicable laws. That haven't stopped us from discussing anything else.
Why should this particular case be "for the courts to decide?"

[NorthernSpy]

76. not sure who or what you're really arguing with, here...

We rarely have all the facts and familiar with all the applicable laws. That haven't stopped us from discussing anything else.
Why should this particular case be "for the courts to decide?"

Obviously, ALL criminal cases are for the courts to decide.

From what I've seen, ignorance of the intent, scope, and applicability of hate crime statutes runs very, very deep -- especially among those displaying the strongest opinions on that subject.

So I think it best to remind people of how much we don't know. Do you object?

[genie_weenie]

41. The only crime involved using a Pace University toilet as the receptacle

because that was not his property. I disagree with the intimidation argument (in this case) because that can lead to a slippery slope of many actions and words being labeled "intimidation". If the koran was purchased by this man, he may do with it whatever he likes.

[KittyWampus]

46. not flush it down a university toilet. That is a crime and stealing the book is a crime.

And bias is a factor that law takes into consideration when considering a crime.

[genie_weenie]

48. I clearly indicated if

he purchased the book then he can do with as he pleases. Stealing it, is also a crime, but if he wanted to tear up the koran at the university (as long as he didn't litter) he could, and there in lies the problem with the "intimidation" claim.

[cynatnite]

50. Throw them all in the toilet...creationists want all of it taught...well, to be fair...

bible, quran, or whatever myth book there is...down the crapper they go :evilgrin:

[Name removed]

56. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Warren DeMontague]

51. If it's his Quran and his toilet, I don't see the problem. Someone else's toilet

I suppose you could conceivably drum up a vandalism charge or something... if he screwed up the toilet.

I think calling that a "hate crime" is a little ridiculous; and this whole thing sounds designed to get right-wingers to go "see! see! THIS-- and not tying gay people to a fence and leaving them to die- is what hate crime laws are about!"

[LisaL]

54. Oh right. According to the article, muslim students/activists

convinced university that it was not taking Quran flushing seriously.
I sincerely doubt the goal of these muslim students/activists was to get right-wingers to go "see."

[Warren DeMontague]

77. I'm not saying it was the goal. But it might be the net effect.

Whatever. Like I said, if it's not his Quran and not his toilet, it's a different story.

[Always AskWhy]

74. AMEN

and AMEN!!

[mudesi]

61. Unless he stole the Quaran, this is not a hate crime

It is, in fact, not a crime at all.

[Endangered Specie]

70. Anyone wanna bet this article is a hit piece?

"Oh my Oh my look at those New York liberals they love Moslems, you better make sure you vote Republican or else your gonna be praying to Mecca!"

(:sarcasm:)

[LisaL]

72. Oh sure. I will take this bet.

The guy was actually charged with these "hate crimes." Do explain how describing the situation makes this article a "hit piece?"

[entanglement]

81. "Muslim activists decided to report the hate crime because it wasn't easy to find two copies

of the Talmud to receive similar treatment at their hands in retaliation, says a confidential source at the University. Rabbi Yehuda Tzvi of Kol Yehuda Yeshiva expressed sorrow on hearing about this incident and sent us this written statement 'The King James Bible and the Qu'ran are widely available and often distributed free of cost to believers and non-believers alike to study or use as they deem fit. On the other hand, a good quality Talmud costs at least $20.00 on Amazon.com excluding shipping and handling and will take 5 days to reach you if you choose standard shipping. Not to mention that many do not even know about its existence. A shandeh un a charpeh, a shame and a disgrace!'"































Ok, I made that one up, LOL.

[Marrah_G]

83. Hate crime?

Gosh I wish people would get that outraged when the symbols of my religion is openly and publically and frequently used as a symbol of all that is evil, literally.

I would call this vandalism. I would not call this a hate crime.

Would people be calling this a hate crime if someone flushed a bible?

If someone gets beat up or discriminated for their religion I will empathize, however being offended is not a crime.

[Always AskWhy]

90. Some people

will look for any excuse to be offended.

[Marrah_G]

91. I agree

But beyond that, no one has a "right" not to be offended. It doesn't mean I think what the kid did was right, just not a hate crime.

[Always AskWhy]

97. If it is MY

book, paid for with MY money, it is MY right to do whatever the hell I want to with it, except of course clog up someone else's toilet.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

98. Hate crimes often are vandalism.

For example, spray painting swastikas on a synagogue, or burning a cross on somebody's lawn.

[NeedleCast]

96. Stretching the Limits of Hate Crime

While I think we all agree that this is a jackass thing to do, calling this a hate crime pushes the bounderies and starts us down a slippery slope.