Issue: Homeless people are at significant risk of becoming victims of violent crimes solely because they are homeless. The Seattle Human Rights Commission is hoping to reduce this violence by revising the city’s malicious harassment ordinance to include people who are homeless as a protected population.

Background: In 2006, there were 142 incidents of hate crimes and violent acts in the United States against people experiencing homelessness. According to a report by the National Coalition for the Homeless, Seattle was ranked the seventh most dangerous city and Washington was ranked the third most dangerous state for homeless people. During the period covered by the report, there were 13 separate incidents of hate crimes in Washington perpetrated against people on the basis of being homeless.

People who are homeless are already extremely vulnerable. Seattle & King County Public Health reports that in 2005, 94 homeless people died and eight of the deaths were due to homicide. Seventy-one percent of all the incidents leading to death occurred in Seattle.

Violent crimes against homeless people are very similar to hate crimes against other groups. They frequently involve thrill seeking, feelings of superiority, and mob mentality. The National Coalition for the Homeless provides some examples of violence against homeless people:

On Jan. 12, 2006, three homeless men of Fort Lauderdale, Florida were brutally beaten with baseball bats and sticks in the cover of darkness. Norris Gaynor, 45, died of head trauma and internal bleeding within hours of arriving at the hospital. A video surveillance camera captured chilling footage showing another victim struggling unsuccessfully to escape, while enduring unmerciful blow after blow to his head and body from two of the attackers wielding baseball bats and smiling, taking apparent pleasure in this act of absolute hatred.

On May 28, 2005, 53-year-old Michael Roberts of Holly Hill, Florida was beaten and punched to death with sticks and logs by a group of five teenagers who admitted to doing it for fun. The autopsy report indicates that Roberts died of blunt-force trauma to the head and body, his ribs were broken, skull fractured, and his legs were badly injured.

Because malicious harassment is difficult to prove, adding homeless status to the ordinance may be mostly symbolic, but it would be a publicly sanctioned message that targeting people because of their extreme poverty is unacceptable. In addition to expanding the penalty for these crimes, the Seattle Human Rights Commission is planning to conduct a joint educational effort, including providing presentations and materials to service providers and to middle school and high school students. They hope to change the ordinance by late summer, in time to implement the education curricula in the upcoming school year.

Action: The proposal will be presented to the Seattle City Council’s Public Safety Committee on June 19. Contact committee members and tell them you support the Seattle Human Rights Commissions’ proposal to expand the malicious harassment ordinance to include people who are homeless.

Chair: Nick Licata – nick.licata@seattle.gov -- (206) 684-8803
Jean Godden – jean.godden@seattle.gov -- (206) 684-8807
Peter Steinbrueck – peter.steinbrueck@seattle.gov -- (206) 684-8808

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