Hate crimes have been a problem for American social clubs since the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Lynching was the most common type of hate crime in America, especially in the South in the early 20th century. Such hatred was carried out by a white supremacist group known as the Ku Klux Klan. In 1992 in Los Angeles, California, the brutal taking into custody of an African-American Rodney King brought the problem of hate crimes back to the public's attention. A gay male named Matthew Shepard, murdered in 1998, also raised awareness and concern about hate crimes. The twenty-first hate crime would include the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Bias causes the “extreme” prejudice that hate crimes sometimes display. In many of the prejudices of American culture they can be created by stereotypes, the process of scapegoating, the need for status and power, or the presence of prejudice. Hate crimes can be more or less a kick to the perpetrator themselves, sending a message to group members, or defending people of their own kind where they feel threatened by “outsiders.” But this is not the only effect these crimes have on American society. Victims often suffer psychological damage as a result of the attempts. Communities as a whole give up their safety after a hate crime occurs. More than one type of group is affected by hate crimes. The United States Department of Justice provides a definition of hate crimes, stating that these crimes are motivated by bias toward race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or national origin. Statistics from 2006 showed that racially motivated crimes reported the greatest number of hate crimes committed. The rest of the hate crimes committed by p... middle of paper... nooses were discovered dangling from the tree. The nooses outraged black students, as they were thought to pose a risk and commend past lynchings of African Americans. Following these incidents, six black students attacked Justin Barker, a white student from Jena. The attacks, known as the Jena Six, were charged with attempted murder and second-degree plotting. All but one of the Jena Six were convicted on the lesser charge. There was much agitation over the cases, with complaints that young people had been treated unreasonably on the basis that they were black. (The case of the Jena Six) When analyzing hate crimes, it is necessary to look beyond the events themselves and focus on the basis of the issue. Many factors could be considered causes of bias-motivated crime. The serious consequences of such crimes also need to be carefully examined.