'Blue lives matter' law used Against Latino Man who Hurt Thin Skinned Cops Feelings By Calling Them Names: Charged with Felony Hate Crime

Nola

New Orleans police arrested a man this week and charged him with a hate crime and other offenses after police say he damaged a window at a French Quarter hotel and then shouted slurs at a witness and officers, according to the man's arrest warrant.

It appears to be the first time Louisiana's so-called "blue lives matter" provision has been used to charge someone with a hate crime involving police officers, according to the Anti-defamation League. 

Raul Delatoba, 34, was booked Monday (Sept. 5) on charges of simple criminal damage to property, disturbing the peace and a felony-level hate crime, his arrest warrant says. During his arrest, but after he had broken the window, Delatoba is accused of using sexist and racial slurs against police officers, the document shows. 

The regional director of the Anti-defamation League, an organization that trains law enforcement agencies to enforce hate crimes, said she does not believe a hate crime occurred in this incident, based on the circumstances described in Delatoba's warrant. 

Allison Padilla-Goodman, the group's director, said she believes Delatoba is possibly the first person charged with a hate crime under the "blue lives matter" provision the Legislature recently added to the state's hate crime law. The provision adds law enforcement occupation to the list of targeted victims for which a hate crime applies. [MORE]