If you assault someone for some reason, and they merely happen to be a member of Class X, vs. If you assault someone because they are a member of Class X

The first is a personal attack, more or less. Be it a woman, an educator, a police officer, or a middle aged white man. A guy a bar, who happens to be black, insults your wife and you pop him one. That's one sort of assault. Similarly, a police officer is hassling you and sticks his finger in your face, so you give him a shove. That's the same sort of assault

The second is a non-personal attack. Instead of popping that guy at the bar, you stew on it for a day or two. The next time you're out drinking you pop some other random black guy because you're just angry with black people now. Alternatively, you're at some sort of protest march and decide to throw something at a cop who's not actually done anything to you.

Those are two different sorts of crimes, and it's perfectly fine (IMHO) to handle them differently.