William MacDonald’s letter (BDN, March 29) asks an important question: How are hate crimes different from other crimes?

Hate crimes are aimed not just at the person who is assaulted. They target a certain group of people because of the particular group they belong to. The group is generally targeted because of ethnic, racial, religious or sexual orientation. Hate crimes are intended to intimidate and even terrify everyone in that entire group. Hate crimes typically escalate quickly from graffiti and threats to violence and even brutal murder.

At the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, there were only two “hate Web sites” on the Internet. Now there are more than 1,000. In recent months we have heard of a black man who was tied behind a truck and dragged to death and a gay college student who was lured out of a bar, tied to a fence and beaten to death.

Just as many states have passed laws that enhance the penalty for killing a police officer, many states also have passed laws with enhanced penalties for hate crimes. These laws send a signal that the people of Maine take such crimes especially seriously, and will not tolerate them. Rev. Mark Worth Unitarian Universalist Church, Ellsworth