There is always a fine line that armed security officers walk between protecting the populace in an appropriate manner and abusing their power. If the officer has a gun and a mandate from the powers that be to maintain law and order, there is a lot of leeway for interpretation. There are also certain personalities attracted to law enforcement that revel in control and intimidation. Add race, politics or sexual orientation to the mix, and things can get ugly very quickly. I think we have to dig deeper,though. Just saying that this is a racial crime, and nothing else, is like characterizing rape as only a sexual crime. In fact, the major motivation of rape is not sex, but power and control through total physical domination, humiliation and violation. I think both hate crimes and rape have a lot to do with victimizing the weak to make the perpetrator feel strong, invincible, and in control. Dehumanizing the victim even before the crime is committed is important in these types of crimes. So, yes, race is part of this, but I doubt that it is really the true motivating force behind this crime. If such crimes were so simple, they would be easily prevented. They are not (any look at rape statistics will tell you than). Too often people look only at the actions perpetrators take as if this alone will explain their motivation. To say this killing is primarily about race is too simplistic. Race is a symptom of this type of crime, not its reason for being. Of course, this is only my personal opinion. But I think if people were willing to dig a bit, there is research to back up what I am saying. What these perpetrators are looking for is someone that they can "cut from the herd" and brand as sub- or non-human, the weaker members of society, if you will. These typically are women and minorities (sexual, racial, religious) that are traditionally cast as inherently inferior or by nature abhorrent by certain patriarchal institutions, and hence easily cast as the "other" and demonized without too much outcry from society. We are lucky that this situation is changing. More and more people are understanding the nature of such crimes and perhaps soon more effective ways to prevent them will prevail. Perhaps it is more useful to frame this incident as the violation of basic human rights, and the victim happened to be a racial minority because he could be cast in the role of sub-human and victimized more easily than some other individuals. Maybe it is just the fact that I grew up during the huge anti-war demonstrations during the Vietnam Era, but I generally don't trust law enforcement.