Domestic terrorism, hate crimes, or other?

I want to pose to you three different cases of violence that have occurred in the past two weeks, and I would like you to tell me if they are acts of domestic terrorism, hate crimes, or something else. After describing the incidents, I will give you my opinion, but I want to hear from you. Your responses will highlight a conclusion I want to make in my next post on the subject.

The cases that I will cover all involve a shooting that resulted in death, a highly public location, and the capture of the assailant. If you haven’t guess which news stories I am talking about, they are the killing of George Tiller (the late-term abortion doctor), William Long (the Private killed in front of a recruiting center), and Steven T. Johns (the security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum). Before we delve into the cases, let us first cover what qualifies as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime.

According to the USA Patriot Act, Domestic Terrorism is defined as follows:

SEC. 802. DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
(a) DOMESTIC TERRORISM DEFINED.—Section 2331 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
…‘‘(5) the term ‘domestic terrorism’ means activities that—
……‘‘(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of
……the United States or of any State;
……‘‘(B) appear to be intended—
………‘‘(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
………‘‘(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
………‘‘(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination,
………or kidnapping; and
……‘‘(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.’’.

According to the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990, hate crimes are defined as:

(b)(1) Under the authority of section 534 of title 28, United States Code, the Attorney General shall acquire data, for each calendar year, about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, including where appropriate the crimes of murder, non-negligent manslaughter; forcible rape; aggravated assault, simple assault, intimidation; arson; and destruction, damage or vandalism of property.

With those two terms defined, let us review the cases:

1) George Tiller: Mr. Tiller was one of a handful of doctors in the United States perform controversial late-term abortions. For years he was the focus of anti-abortion groups, often finding his clinic being blocked by protestors that would try to keep him and his patients out of the building. Two weeks ago, Scott Roeder entered the church Tiller attended and gunned him down. He was captured later on after fleeing the scene.

2) William Long: Army Privates William Long and Quinton Ezeagwula were outside of an Army Recruiting Center in Arkansas when Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad (formerly Carlos Leon Bledsoe) pulled into the parking lot and shot both men. Long died from a single bullet wound, while Ezeagwula survived despite being shot three times. Muhammad was captured later on with a vehicle full of weapons and ammunition.

3) Steven T. Johns: Working the front entrance to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, security guard Steven T. Johns was shot by James von Brunn. Johns opened the door for the elderly von Brunn when he was shot in the chest. Two other security guards quickly drew their weapons and shot von Brunn multiple times before he had a chance to kill anyone else.

My opinions:

1) George Tiller: In this case, Roeder’s act does not meet the qualifications of a hate crime, since Tiller was targeted over his abortion practices. On the other hand, it could be considered an act of domestic terrorism since it could be argued that Tiller’s graphic death would “intimidate or coerce a civilian population.” If women were now fearful of obtaining a late-term abortion due to the risk of someone murdering, then Roeder’s actions would qualify the requirement in that sense.

2) William Long: While Muhammad’s actions were based upon his religious beliefs, Long and Ezeagwula were not targeted for their own religious beliefs but rather their uniform. With that being the case, I would say this doesn’t qualify as a hate crime either, even though the two Privates represented an institution that was targeted. It could be argued that Muhammad’s act is a case of domestic terrorism on the grounds that he wanted “to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion” through the targeted killing of uniformed service men and women.

3) Steven T. Johns: The intent of the actions by von Brunn meets the classical definitions of a hate crime. He went to the Holocaust Museum because of what the facility represented – a memorial to the Jewish people systematically murdered during World War II by Nazi Germany. However, it could be argued as not being a hate crime since Johns, a black man, might not have been the intended target. While I don’t think that argument would convince a jury, it is a plausible position to base a defense on.

In summary, like I said after the killing of Tiller, murder is never the answer. All you are doing is proving the position and ideology of the victim to be the correct one, while discrediting yourself and your message in the same process. I am hopeful that this rash of extreme ideological violence passes soon, rather than the start of a very ugly age in the Chapter of American history.

Related articles:
Yahoo News – “For accused museum shooter, a downward spiral”
The Arkansas Leader – “Private still hurting after terror attack”
Arkansas Democrat Gazette – “Family praises slain GI, calling him soldier, hero”
The Washington Post – “Family of Slain Doctor Shutters Abortion Clinic”