Let's imagine that you and your family have just moved to a new neighborhood. Apparently it's a safe neighborhood and the neighbors are all nice. But a few weeks after you moved in, one of your neighbors sets your house on fire. Luckily, you and your family escape alive, but all your belongings are destroyed. You would probably be sad, upset, and/or really angry. But what if you later found out that the reason your neighbor burned down your house was because he was prejudiced against you and your family? Maybe because you're black or Hispanic, or maybe because of your religion, maybe you're Muslim. That would probably bother you even more. But how do you think all the blacks, Hispanics, or Muslims in your neighborhood feel? They might be afraid of being next. People who share the characteristics of a hate crime victim are also affected, proving that hate crimes and bias are a problem in our society. If you think hate crimes are something that's just started happening, or if you think these things don't happen anymore, you're wrong. Statistics indicate that hate crime rates increased by 8% in 2006, then decreased in 2012. But statistics are not always accurate, because they simply show hate crimes being reported; some victims are too afraid to report them. Additionally, hate crimes have always been a part of history. If you don't believe me, some examples are the crucifixion of Jesus, the Holocaust, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Jesus was crucified because of his religion. The Romans didn't like that he claimed to be the son of God, so they executed him. The Holocaust was also due to religion: the Nazis were against the Jews, so they took them out of their homes and sent them to concentration camps, which ended up killing many of them. Martin Luther King Jr. was dead... middle of paper ... same race or religion could hear about what happened and be afraid. It sounds a little crazy, but it's real, things like this actually happen and affect people all over the world. This is why hate crimes are such a problem in our society. As I said before, those who look like the victims of hate crimes are also affected, which shows us that these crimes are a problem in our world. Hate crimes are violent acts motivated by bias. They have almost always been part of the story, but that doesn't make them acceptable. Rates of hate crimes have gone up and down, but that doesn't guarantee they will go away. Hate crimes don't just affect one person: they can affect anyone with the same qualities as the victim. So please don't go setting fire to your neighbor's house because you don't like their skin color or religion, you could affect more people than you think..