Anne Arundel County Del. Mark Chang’s bill to crack down on the use of nooses and swastikas was the first bill to land in front of the House Judiciary Committee this legislative session.

Chang pre-filed the bill before the Maryland Assembly reconvened last week. He introduced it for the first time late last session, but lawmakers ran out of time to pass it.

The District 32 Democrat hopes the bill will have a better chance of success this time around.

“We can’t go another session without addressing this,” Chang told lawmakers.

If passed, it would criminalize the use of nooses and swastikas to intimidate an individual or a group.

“This will really send a message out to people who have these thoughts, that it’s not right,” Chang said.

The bill’s introduction came on the heels of a failed 2017 hate crime case in which a county judge found a man not guilty after a noose was found at Crofton Middle School.

The judge later called on lawmakers to adjust hate crime laws to include acts that target groups of people, not just individuals.

Lawmakers did change the laws last session, but Chang wanted to take it further with his noose bill.

The delegate said the issue is “near and dear” to him. At the age of 7, Chang said someone hanged a dead cat from the fence of his family home.

Delegates largely showed support for the bill, but are struggling to define exactly what the legislation should cover.

Del. Charles Sydnor III mentioned the bill’s language surrounding property. As is, the legislation bans nooses and swastikas from being placed on “any building or real property” without consent from the owner.

Sydnor suggested the bill cover all property. In August, 15 cars in a black Baltimore County neighborhood were vandalized with swastikas and other obscenities.

Del. David Moon questioned the broadness of the legislation.

“Should we write it in a way that’s broad or lists specifics,” Moon asked. The latter option could force lawmakers to revisit the bill in the future and ban other hateful acts, like burning crosses or writing racial slurs.

But Del. Sandy Bartlett said she doesn’t want to spend too much time “in the weeds.”

Bartlett, a Democrat from Maryland City, spoke to the sense of urgency many Anne Arundel County residents feel to address racially-motivated attacks in the community.

“This bill could help with that immediate need,” she said.

It could also send a message. Under the legislation, violators would be slapped with a misdemeanor, punishable by three years in prison or a $5,000 fine. Minors would be prosecuted in juvenile court.

Since Chang introduced the bill for the first time the last session, Marylanders have seen more incidents of hate and bias.

Two nooses were hung at Chesapeake Bay Middle School during a two-month period. Flyers that promoted the Ku Klux Klan were peppered around neighborhoods in Glen Burnie and Lothian in November.

Elsewhere, Baltimore County police launched an investigation after swastikas were found in graffiti in a dorm bathroom at Goucher College in Towson. And in Howard County, four high school students faced hate crime charges after swastikas and racially-charged comments were found in graffiti at Glenelg High School.

“These activities have to stop,” Chang said.

llumpkin@capgaznews.com