FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 4, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
WATCH: WAGOP Sen. Fortunato Seeks to Protect Tesla Owners with Hate Crime Legislation
Seattle, WA – During floor debate on April 3rd in the Washington State Senate, Sen. Phil Fortunato (R-Auburn) introduced an amendment to include owners of Tesla vehicles as a protected class in hate crimes legislation. The U.S. Department of Justice defines hate crimes as, “a crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.” Historically, hate crime legislation protects individuals who have been violently targeted based on their immutable characteristics or religious beliefs, not property crime. Last year, the Department of Justice reported 11,862 hate crimes incidents. Recent reporting documents 51 incidents of Tesla vandalism in the U.S.
“Instead of focusing on finding solutions to balance the budget in the face of Trump’s drastic cuts to services people rely on, addressing the numerous human rights and civil rights violations of the Trump administration, or the economic disaster unleashed by his tariff policy, WAGOP Senator Fortunato is wasting the legislature’s time on amendments to protect owners of $40,000 cars,” said Chair Shasti Conrad. “While Trump and the WAGOP incite hate against immigrants, the LGBTQIA+ community, and our most vulnerable neighbors, they’re more concerned with the destruction of cars,” she continued.
“Tesla owners are already protected by laws against property crime. Equating the destruction of property with the real violence faced by those targeted for the color of their skin or who they love is insulting on its face and exposes a deeply troubling worldview. Senator Fortunato should apologize to everyone who has suffered from actual hate crimes and to every Washingtonian for wasting the legislature’s time. Every Republican in the legislature should make it clear whether they also believe property owners should be a protected class under hate crimes legislation.”
The Washington State Democratic Party is committed to advancing progressive policy, empowering the grassroots, and ensuring Democratic victories up and down the ballot. Chair of the Washington Democrats, Shasti Conrad, is the first Indian-American woman to chair a major state party.
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