ABSTRACT
Khalsa was later treated at a hospital for multiple contusions, abrasions, swelling and substantial pain to his eye and face. Elderly Sikhs, regrettably, are not spared from such hate violence. A CAT scan revealed that Khalsa had sustained multiple fractures to the left orbital bone, as well as complex, obstructive fractures of the nose which required facial reconstruction surgery to enable him to breathe. The federal hate crime statute 'prohibits willful injury, intimidation, or interference or attempt to do so, by force or threat of force of any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin'. The important countervailing considerations that must be factored into any reasoned revisiting of hate crimes legislation. The First Amendment tradition remains strong in the United States and as such these objections should be respected and carefully incorporated into any conversation on the improvements or expansion of hate crimes statutes.
