Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, appearing on Boston Public Radio on Monday, renewed her call for strenghtening hate crime legislation in the wake of a deadly shooting in Georgia that left six Asian women dead. She also discussed the state's vaccine rollout, and news that the Supreme Court will hear an appeal to reinstate the death penalty of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
On reforming the state's hate crime laws
While Massachusetts is among the vast majority of states to have hate crime laws on the books, the killings of Asian women at spas in Georgia — as well as an uptick in harassment and violence against Asian Americans over the past year — have renewed a push for tougher hate crime laws in the state, and across the country.
Healey told Boston Public Radio on Monday now is the time to prosecute violence fueled by hate.
"In our state and across the country, it's time to stop making excuses for violence, for white violence, for white supremacy, for terrorism, for extremism, for hate," she said, "and prosecute these cases for what they are."
In February, Healey outlined her legislative agenda for the year, which included reforming the state's hate crime laws. A bill has been filed with State Sen. Adam Hines and State Rep. Tram Nguyen to update and modernize the hate crime laws to strengthen penalties, enable cases to be heard in Superior Court, and clarify definitions for law enforcement officers and those in the legal system.
On the attack in Georgia specifically, Healey said regardless of the shooter's stated motivation to violence, his actions should be prosecuted as a hate crime.
"It is a hate-filled incident, whether it's anti-Asian American or misogyny," she said. "There are a number of things probably simultaneously at play here . . . We as a culture need to confront the fact that this person was so infected with something that he took these steps and murdered these innocent women and a man."
On Massachusetts' vaccine rollout
Healey has been a vocal critic of Gov. Charlie Baker's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, prompting speculation that she may run for governor herself. On Monday, she praised Baker for the improvements made to the rollout over the past weeks.
"I think things are going better, as evidenced by the numbers," she said, noting lingering concerns about equity.
"We cannot sacrifice equity for efficiency," she said.
"The Baker administration screwed up, and they needed to make adjustments," Healey said. "They made adjustments, we hope to continue to see the vaccines come into the state. It's important not only the mass vax site continue to operate but it's critical there has to be support for local sites like the one I visited in Randolph, or community-based sites visited a few weeks ago in Chelsea or Mattapan that are actually really effective at helping address the equity issue here.
On the Supreme Court's decision to take up an appeal to reinstate Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's death sentence
On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from former Attorney General Bill Barr to reinstate the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev. His death sentence had been overturned last year when a lower court found that the trial judge had not done enough to ensure jurors were unbiased.
"I think this is going to be the first of many decisions that both U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and ultimately President Biden are going to have to make on any number of matters before the court," Healey said. "The posture here is the Supreme Court has decided to take the case, now we'll have to see what the Biden administration through the United States Department of Justice does in terms of briefing and handling this matter."
"We know President Biden like me shares the view that we don't support the death penalty, we don't support capital punishment," she said. "That said, he also as president has his own separate role to play notwithstanding his personal views."
Healey noted her office does not have a formal role in the Tsarnaev case, as he is charged with federal crimes.
During the hour-long segment on Boston Public Radio, Healey also took questions from listeners.
