Last revised April 2002

About the Pullman Human Rights Commission


What Can You Do?


Opportunities to 
Promote Human Rights


Legal Definitions


Resources

Contact Us
  • Contact Person: 
    David Stiller
  • Phone: 
    (509) 334-7868
  • Email: 
    mailto:hrc@ci.pullman.wa.us
  • Mail: 
    Pullman Human Rights Commission
    PO Box 3074 CS
    Pullman, WA 99165

Hate Crime - FBI Definition 

" For the purpose of Uniform Crime Reporting, a hate crime is defined as: "A criminal offense committed against the person or property which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offenders bias against race, religion, sexual orientation group, or ethnicity/national origin."  Hate crimes are not separate, distinct crimes, but any traditional criminal offense that is motivated by the offender's racial, religious, ethnic, or sexual orientation bias." 

Malicious Harassment - Definition  

"A person is guilty of malicious harassment if he or she maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of his or her perception of the victim's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap: 
  1. Causes physical injury to the victim or another person;
  2. Causes physical damage to or destruction of the property of the victim or another person;
  3. Threatens a specific person or group of persons and places that person, or members of the specific group of persons, in a reasonable fear of harm to person or property.  The fear must be a fear that a reasonable person would have under all the circumstances.  For the purposes of this section, a "reasonable person" is a reasonable person who is a member of the victim's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap as the victim.  Words alone do not constitute malicious harassment unless the context or circumstances surrounding the words indicate the words are a threat.  Threatening words do not constitute malicious harassment if it is apparent to the victim that the person does not have the ability to carry out the threat." 


  Excerpt from RCW 9a.36.080

" The State Legislature also has strengthened protection orders against unlawful harassment, defining "unlawful harassment" as conduct aimed at a person which seriously alarms, annoys, or harasses such person and which serves no legitimate and lawful purpose.  The course of conduct shall be such as would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress." 

Excerpt from a brochure on hate crime by The Center for Democratic Renewal - Puget Sound Task Force on Human Rights and RCW 10.14.020