Lincoln, NE — On Monday, June 15, 2020, the Lincoln City Council unanimously enacted a city hate-crime ordinance, Ordinance 20-71, which creates a separate offense when a crime is committed with the intent to intimidate another person due in part or in whole to that person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, physical or mental disability, national origin, age, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Omaha passed a similar ordinance last week.
Nebraska is Home Welcoming Coordinator, Khenda Mustafa, issued the following response:
“I have been reflecting on what it means to be part of a community, and how hard it is for people to feel like they belong when fear and intimidation are present. After September 11, 2001, I remember how my family started receiving hate, intimidation, and sometimes violence, from others at school and in our neighborhood. I remember how sad and afraid it made me feel. Even though I didn’t know it at 11-years-old, the existence of intimidation fractured my sense of connection to my community.
That is why I am happy and proud to hear that the Lincoln City Council has passed Ordinance 20-71. This ordinance affirms that all Lincolnites belong here and that hate has no place in our city. We thank Mayor Gaylor Baird and the Lincoln City Council for their leadership in standing up against hate and intimidation. This makes our community stronger.”