Hate crimes have been a problem for American social clubs since the 20th and 21st centuries. Lynching was one of the most common types of hate crimes in America, particularly in the South, during the early 20th century. Such hatred was started by a white supremacist group known as the Ku Klux Klan. In 1992, in Los Angeles, California, the brutal arrest of African American Rodney King brought the problem of hate crimes back into the public eye. A gay man named Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998, which also increased awareness and concern about hate crimes. The twenty-first hate crimes include the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Bias is the root cause of the "extreme" bias sometimes exhibited in hate crimes. In many American culture biases can be created by stereotyping, 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 offender himself, sending a message to members of the group, or they can be a defense of his own kind in which he feels threatened by "outsiders". But that's not the only effect these crimes have on American society. Victims often suffer psychological injuries from these attempts. Communities as a whole abandon their place of safety after a hate crime has been committed. Several types of groups are affected by hate crimes. The United States Department of Justice provides a definition of hate crimes, stating that these crimes are motivated by bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national affiliation. Statistics from 2006 showed that racially motivated crimes accounted for the largest number of hate crimes. The rest of the hate crimes committed by p...... middle of paper ......ing, nooses were discovered swinging from the tree. The nooses outraged black students because they were considered a risk and reminiscent of past lynchings of African Americans. Following these episodes, six black students attacked Justin Barker, a white student in Jena. The attackers, known as the Jena Six, were charged with attempted second-degree homicide and scheme. All six from Jena, except one, received lesser sentences. These cases caused much controversy, with complaints that the young men had been treated unreasonably on the grounds that they were black. (The case of the Jena Six) When analyzing hate crimes, we must look beyond the events themselves and focus on the roots of the problem. Many factors could be considered causes of bias-motivated offenses. The serious consequences of such offenses must also be carefully considered.