“Our country is being run into the ground by hatred. There is no place in this state, this country, or this world, for that. I don’t care where it comes from or what the person who perpetrates a hate crime looks like or believes in: there is no place for hatred, period. The divisiveness in this country has bred a culture of disrespect and refusal to accept anyone different. It has now grown into full blown hatred and violence.

“We cannot accept what has become the status quo, and I believe it is on legislators like me, the governor and the federal government to set the example. People will always have disagreements on issues, but hatred never needs to be part of our way of life. I agree with the governor that terrorism is terrorism regardless of where it stems from. I applaud his proposal and I’m interested to see what the actual legislation will look like.”