Rise in Hate Crimes Continues

Thank you all for signing this petition asking Donald Trump to denounce hate crimes perpetrated by his supporters. Please continue to support this petition by sharing it though email and social media. We need to make our message clear to Mr. Trump. As you may have heard, when Donald Trump was asked about hate crimes on 60 Minutes, he first claimed he was surprised by the surge in hate crimes and then told perpetrators to "stop it."' However, during the same interview he said: "I think it’s horrible if that’s happening. I think it’s built up by the press because, frankly, they’ll take every single little incident that they can find in this country, which could’ve been there before. If I weren’t even around doing this, and they’ll make into an event because that’s the way the press is." Then, following the interview he appointed Steve Bannon as his senior counselor. Bannon's alt-right website Breitbart has published racists and sexist articles and interviews. Bannon himself is credited with making sexists, homophobic and anti-Semitic statements. Bannon's appointment has only worsened the fears that perpetrators of hate crimes will be emboldened and continue to harass innocent people. Clearly, Donald Trump's statement to hate crime perpetrators to "stop it" is not enough. Rather than claim these acts are fabricated by the media, he needs to make it absolutely clear to all Americans - regardless of how they voted - that such acts are unlawful and unacceptable. He should make it clear that his administration will take all legal steps to stop such conduct and hold perpetrators accountable. Thanks you all for your continued support. Jim Quadra