Read the following and give response:

Should hate crime laws be amended to include the homeless as a protected class?

This is an interesting topic. I do not believe it should be categorized as a hate crime, however; I do believe it should be a separate crime that carries a little more weight with punishment then a simple assault or theft, or whatever the charge is. I believe homeless isn't a choice like being Jewish, Muslim, or where to work. It's also not something your born into, like being black, or purple, or mentally incapable, or even a religion (at times). Being homeless TENDS to be a number of choices or lack of choices that the person made that got themselves there. Say a homeless man was assaulted and robbed and he happened to also be mentally handicapped, then get the assailant on the hate crime against the mentally handicapped. I think making a crime on the homeless a hate crime opens the door to a lot of other things so much so that now everything is a hate crime. I am a lefty. If I happened to be signing my name on a check before I was cracked from behind with a pipe, should that be a hate crime against lefties? I do think a crime against the homeless should have a secondary charge because of the prey aspect a homeless person may exhibit. They do not have the protection of a home, or room w/ a door, or have a phone to call 911, or a weapon to defend them. They tend to be sicklier and also weaker do to the poor living conditions they survive in. In a lot of ways, it’s like putting a boxer in the ring with someone who has never fought before.