Floyd County Dems Chair: Hoosiers need Hate Crimes Legislation

While Floyd County has been under attack, our representatives have failed to protect us.

New Albany, October 17, 2018 – The same week that swastika stickers were found scattered throughout downtown New Albany, an Indiana General Assembly study committee refused to issue a recommendation on hate crimes legislation. Floyd County Democratic Party Chair Adam Dickey is calling out State Senator Ron Grooms, Rep. Ed Clere, and Rep. Karen Engleman for their failure to full support this legislation.

The Interim Study Committee on Corrections and Criminal Code failed to issue a recommendation on Indiana’s hate crime legislation last week. Even though southern Indiana has recently been faced with racist incidents, including two recent events occurring in Floyd’s Knobs and New Albany, Senator Grooms and Reps Clere and Engleman have not spoken out against the Committee’s inaction or challenged their own party to push the legislation forward.

“Once again, Senator Grooms and Rep. Clere say one thing and fail to do another. Grooms and Clere have both said that the time has come for Indiana to join the 45 other states that protect all their residents, but neither of them have been committed to fighting voices in their own party blocking the measure. After the Interim Study Committee failed to make any recommendations, both Grooms and Clere have been silent, while Rep. Engleman has thus far refused to weigh in on the issue at all. While incidents of hate crimes are on the rise across Indiana, our representatives have failed to lead on this issue and protect us,” said Dickey. 

“We cannot accept the status quo on this issue. The inability of our state to act on hate crimes legislation isn’t a representation of broad disagreement or even the challenge of crafting legislation. It is an illustration of a lack of political will by the Republican Party to address the issue. We see it again and again with this legislature, whether it be on the opioid epidemic, the Department of Child Service, or now on hate crimes. I call on Senator Grooms, and Reps Clere and Engleman to stand against their party, speak out for hate crimes legislation and stand for their fellow Hoosiers.”

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