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SALT LAKE CITY CORPORATION
RESOLUTION NO. 35 OF 2017
JOINT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING LEGISLATION TO
ENHANCE PENALTIES FOR TARGETED OFFENSES
WHEREAS, the United States of America's Declaration of Independence states that governments are instituted to secure mankind's unalienable rights; and;
WHEREAS, in 2017 alone, Christian monuments were destroyed, Muslim Mosques burned, and bomb threats made against Jewish Schools, Synagogues, and Community Centers; including here in Utah; and;
WHEREAS, when a criminal deliberately targets a victim because of ancestry, disability, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation to deprive them of their unalienable right to life, liberty, property, or to pursue happiness, other members of that community are deeply affected, as is society as a whole; and
WHEREAS, stronger tools to address crime in which the offender targets victims can assist law enforcement in building better relations and trust with communities, and more appropriately punish the people who commit these vicious acts.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City join with the Utah Attorney General, Salt Lake County District Attorney, the Statewide Association of Prosecutors, the Utah Chiefs of Police Association, the Utah Sheriffs' Association, the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah Sentencing Commission, the Utah Counsel on Victims of Crime, the Law Enforcement Legislative Committee, and many other religious and community groups in calling on the Utah State Legislature to pass legislation enhancing penalties for crimes targeting victims based on their ancestry, disability, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a signed copy of this resolution will be sent to all members of the Utah State Legislature representing constituents residing within Salt Lake City.
Passed by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah, this 5th day of December, 2017.