The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today praised the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office and the Boulder Police Department following the sentencing of a Lafayette man, Joseph Coy, who was found guilty in April of committing a hate crime and second degree assault against a student from Nigeria in a brutal attack last fall. Coy was sentenced to a five-year prison term in Boulder’s first felony hate crimes conviction.  Boulder ADL Office Community Director Amy M. Stein issued the following statement:

“We commend the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office and the Boulder Police Department for their commitment to securing justice for the victim of this brutal assault. Today’s sentencing in Boulder’s first felony hate crimes conviction is the result of the work of many in this community to combat hate and bigotry and to hold accountable those who act criminally because of bias-motivation.

Perpetrators of hate crimes send a message to their victims – and everyone else who shares the victim’s characteristics – that they are not welcome or safe. Every time the perpetrator of a hate crime is brought to justice, we hope a louder, stronger message resonates: that all people, of any nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religion, or ethnicity, should be welcome, safe, protected and included in Boulder.”

Hate crime statutes have been adopted by 45 states. Many of those laws are based on a model statute crafted by ADL, which has long been in the forefront of national and state efforts to deter and counteract hate-motivated criminal activity.

In September 2010, ADL condemned the racially-motivated violence in this case and urged law enforcement to prosecute the crime to the full extent permitted under Colorado’s hate crimes law and the City of Boulder’s Bias-Motivated Crimes Ordinance.