Ontario's Attorney General has been asked to consider the beating death of a homeless man as a hate crime -- hate directed against those who live on the streets.

59-year-old Paul Croutch was beaten to death in a downtown Toronto park last week, and a woman who witnessed the beating was also attacked.

Michael Shapcott of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee wrote to Attorney General Michael Bryant asking that the death be considered a hate-motivated crime, qualifying for a more severe penalty.

Three Canadian Forces reservists -- Jeffery Hall, 21, Mountaz Ibrahim, 23, and Brian Deganis, 21, all from Toronto -- were arrested Friday and charged with second-degree murder and assault causing bodily harm.

The suspects had been at a social function at a nearby armoury before the attack.