What is going on in Michigan?
A study done by the FBI of 2004 crime statistics found Michigan ranked as the third worst in the country in hate crimes, despite the fact Michigan ranks only 6th in total population.
Michigan was behind California and New Jersey.
We didn't see this one coming.
Here we are in the Midwest, a place many people think of as full of people who are tolerant. Apparently, that's inaccurate.
A total of 556 hate crimes were reported last year in Michigan, more than five times the 105 reported in Pennsylvania, even though it has about 2.5 million more people.
When a lot of people think about intolerance or racism, there is still a tendency to think of the South because it was the home of the civil rights movement. This study suggests that is clearly not the case. Alabama had only three reported hate crimes and Mississippi had only two.
So, why are so many hate crimes occurring in Michigan?
Race accounted for 336 of the reported hate crimes in the state.
Part of the problem might be a lack of exposure, in some areas in the state, to diversity. There are many areas in the state that lack any significant minority population.
In addition, the Detroit area, which has a racially diverse population, is one of the most segregated metro areas in the country. This was determined as a result of a study conducted by The Detroit News in 2002.
Two hate crimes occurred here at MSU; one was related to ethnicity, while the other was related to sexual orientation.
Val Meyers, president of MSU's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Faculty, Staff and Graduate Student Association, offered a possible explanation to the hate crime ranking in regard to sexual orientation.
"The passing of Proposal 2 made the climate in Michigan more permissive of things like this," she said Tuesday.
Proposal 2 sent the message that homosexuals are not entitled to the same respect as everyone else.
The results of this study are disheartening to say the least. This issue needs further consideration. What causes a hate crime? Who are the most likely targets? Why are hate crimes happening in Michigan with such frequency?
We can't answer these questions and, unfortunately, neither can the study.
However, it is something that needs to be investigated.
