re: Is this too harsh? Georgia couple receive long sentences for verbal hate crime

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For hate speech? We don't have hate speech crimes in the US. WTF?

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They don't have a hate crime statute. They were charged as a street gang, but the other people were given far lighter sentences. Apparently they were going around for a couple days too

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Assistant District Attorney David Emadi detailed how the group had gone on a drunken, two-county rampage in pick-up trucks laden with Confederate battle flags through Paulding and Douglas counties on July 24 - 25, 2015.

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Emadi said the group threatened African-American motorists, yelled at them and walked up to one of their cars with a gun. They also threatened African American shoppers at a Paulding County Walmart and at a convenience store.“

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I mean maybe the sentence is exteme, but if BLM or some Muslim group went around targeting black people or Christians like that, would people be as outraged with the sentence?