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Comment by qwerpy | Hacker News Reader

I can see it making sense. An entire class of people are now afraid and feel targeted because they happen to own a particular brand of car. Random attacks aren't hate crimes, but attacks targeting a protected class are. DC apparently now defines "own a Tesla" as a protected class.

As a Tesla owner, I welcome and support this. I'm more likely to be victimized by vandalism because someone hates my car for political reasons. Doesn't seem fair. Society has decided that victimizing people for characteristics (hate) is worse than randomly victimizing people because "Hate crime victims include not only the crime’s immediate target but also others like them" (https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/learn-about-hate-crimes). So I'm glad to see it applied in this case.

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A lot of people have bought a tesla believing in the decarbonization effort and now since the tides have shifted they're become target of vandalisation attacks.

It's just unfair.

The sad thing is that the decarbonization effort was a really strong left/liberal thing. And Tesla cars are now being vandalized by left/liberal extremists. Had those Tesla cars owners bought an petrol-fueled cars they'd have less issues right now.

Whoa whoa... "An entire class of people..." you can't just smuggle that assumption in. What class? What do you have in common?

Just for context here, an increased possibility of suffering property damage is one of the tamest politically-driven injustices occurring these days. Contrast it with say, being disappeared off of the street for having said the wrong thing.

I agree that we're in dire need of law and order. The fish rots from the head - we can only repair our society by demanding accountability for the lawless gangsters destroying it from the top.

Are Tesla owners a protected class?

The notional protected class here appears to be holders of particular political views, not Tesla owners.

The "Oh, I'm special because I drive a Tesla" defense. No, people who drive Teslas aren't special or protected. They just drive a particular brand of EV.

That could cover Tesla owners, because they are assumed by the perpetrators to hold certain political views, evidenced by owning that car, which is why it is okay to destroy their property.

If you are mistaken for Jew by coincidence due to the way your face is, and are subject to an anti-Semitic attack, you are virtually a Jew then; it is a hate crime and you are the victim. It's not simply that Jews, as a class, are the victims of the hate crime part of it, and you are just the victim of plain attack.

The perpetrators know full well that most Tesla owners are Democrats.

They are using violence to try and hurt Tesla's business and make people afraid to buy their cars.

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