Hate violence is against the law in the California.
The Ralph Act, Civil Code § 51.7, provides that “All persons within the jurisdiction of this state have the right to be free from any violence, or intimidation by threat of violence, committed against their persons or property because of political affiliation, or on account of [sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status], or position in a labor dispute, or because another person perceives them to have one or more of those characteristics.”
Hate violence includes physical attacks and threats. Threats can be conveyed in person, over the phone, by electronic communications like text messages or social media, graffiti/vandalism, or any other way that people communicate. People have the right to disagree about political matters, but people do not have the right to hit or intimidate others because of a political disagreement.
People don’t have the right to target other people for violence because they belong to a certain group, like a certain race or sexual orientation.
If you have been the victim of hate violence, or hate threats, you can talk to an experienced civil rights lawyer to find out more about your rights.