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 @ISIDEWITHNewsDemocratsRepublicansWashingtonFreedom of speechSenateAttorney GeneralSeattlehate crimesAdvance•••4wks ago

Washington State Offers Cash To Report Hate Speech Via A 24/7 Hotline

Washington will establish a nonpolice hotline to assist people who have been targeted by hate crimes and bias incidents, state lawmakers decided this week, passing a new version of a bill that failed to advance last year.

Senate Bill 5427, sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, among others, directs the state Attorney General’s Office to create a hotline serving at least three Washington counties by 2025 and all counties by 2027.

The bill says the hotline should be staffed during business hours. It says call takers should provide victims with information, refer them to culturally competent, trauma-informed local service providers for additional help and document the calls for annual reports. Identifying information will be kept out of the reports and will be exempt from public disclosure requests.

SB 5427 passed the Senate on Feb. 7 and cleared the House on Wednesday, drawing unanimous support from Democrats and near-unanimous opposition from Republicans. It’s now headed to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk to be signed into law.

14 Replies

 @DelegateToucanMountain from North Carolina commented…4wks4W

Does that include hate speech and bias against Whites? If so, their state fund will run out of money almost immediately. Or do they just hang up on you if the hate is directed against Whites?

 @Sw1ngStateMackenzieCA Common Sense from California commented…4wks4W

If you have a neighbor, co-worker or acquaintance that is a full on marxist or Karen and think they are going to make problems for you, go ahead and use cash to buy a few burner phones and hit that hotline up reporting every move they make. End this quickly.

 @C0nstituti0nalGeckoForward from Alabama commented…4wks4W

Washington State is keen on violating The First Amendment protections of its citizens, offering cash rewards for ratting out your neighbors, friends and family.

The abuse that will come from this will be insane.

 @GorillaGaryVeteranfrom Washington commented…4wks4W

Didn’t communist Russia incentivize kids to rat out their parents? This sounds familiar.

 @ResolvedLizardNo Labels from Pennsylvania commented…4wks4W

I can't imagine how this could possibly be abused.

Except all the ways it's obviously going to be abused.

 @SwingStateIkeLibertarianfrom Ohio commented…4wks4W

Fight back—flood the hotline with calls mocking them.

"Hey my neighbor bought a white car and I feel that that's racist. Could you please arrest him?" Then just keep going on about it for the next thirty minutes.

 @XtraordinaryDinosaurRepublican from Arizona commented…4wks4W

Every Republican needs to report every Democrat activists everyday for making racists statements... since DEI is in fact a regime that promotes racism. Flood the AGs office in Washington until they no longer enforce this obvious violation of the law.

 @ISIDEWITHasked…4wks4W

How might the promise of anonymity affect people's willingness to report hate speech, and do you think this is beneficial or problematic?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…4wks4W

In your opinion, is the implementation of a hotline a positive step towards combating hate speech, or does it infringe on freedom of expression?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…4wks4W

Should individuals be financially incentivized to report hate speech, or could this approach lead to unintended consequences?

 @PollingPlaceDaveLibertarian from Georgia answered…4wks4W

Of course it's taxpayer money, so citizens are funding their own censorship and subjugation.

 @ISIDEWITHasked…4wks4W

Does the concept of a 24/7 hotline for reporting hate incidents make you feel more secure or wary about potential misuse?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…4wks4W

How do you feel about the idea of offering cash rewards for reporting hate speech?

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