The 2009 Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) created criminal enhancements for certain offenses because bias “devastates not just the actual victim… but frequently savages the community sharing the traits that caused the victim to be selected.” (Pub. L. 111–84, div. E § 4702(5), emphasis added) HCPA protects groups rather than just individuals because targets are selected based on shared characteristics, such as sexuality, gender, dis/ability, or military service.

Section 4712, known as The Soldiers Amendment, included protections for service members and their families up to five years after discharge. It entered the federal criminal code as 18 U.S.C. § 1389, but the Department of Justice has never enforced the law.

Anti-military hate crimes are happening, they just aren’t being prosecuted.

Each of the individuals below are American citizens subject to the 2009 Soldiers Amendment, a law the Department of Justice refuses to enforce. Click an image below to read more about the individual pictured, arranged chronologically by the date of their crime. This is not a comprehensive list.