Bismarck City Commission vote 4 to 1 against hate crime ordinance

(Bismarck, ND) -- City Commissioners voted 4-1 against a hate crime ordinance on Tuesday night.

The ordinance would have expanded city harassment, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and simple assault ordinances the city currently uses, by widening their definitions to include the victim's "actual or perceived race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or ancestry."

Commission members listened to dozens of residents, who spoke at the commission meeting in favor of or in opposition to the proposed ordinance. You can read the full ordinance by clicking here. 

If Bismarck City Commission approved the measure, they would have joined both Grand Forks and Fargo to include ordinances relating to hate crimes.