Only hurting 'special' people is bad?

I noticed a couple recent headlines on prop 8. In one, a man wearing a "no on 8" button removed the "yes on 8" sign from a guys lawn. The guy then proceeded to beat the "no on 8" guy, and was charged with a "hate crime". In another case, an older man placed a "yes on 8 sign" in his yard. A younger guy didn't like that, and came and beat him. The younger guy was charged with "elder abuse". Why do we have to reach for so many different reasons to punish perpetrators? Why not just plain old assault and battery? Or is it just a prerequisite for people to place themselves in a "special" category in order to get protection from the law?