Please join us.

Monday April 16, 2012
Dunbar Culture Center
225 West 2^nd Street
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Invited Speakers

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These are just a few of the issues that torment people trafficked throughout the world, including the US, including Arizona, including Pima County, including Tucson…perhaps in your neighborhood.

Come, as people of faith, come as people concerned, come as atheists and agnostics, come because you want to understand how you can alleviate the suffering and harm.

This program won’t be just devoted to learning about human trafficking, but will also open conversation to the many ways we, as individuals or as faith communities, can help.

Please join us.

Thursday, March 29 2012
Catalina United Methodist Church
2700 E. Speedway Blvd. Room H230
6:30-8:45 pm
Free vegetarian buffet meal offered.

No charge for the program. Donations for Community Conversations and  Community Food Bank welcomed.

Contact:
Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa
home: 520.690.5715 cell: 520.490.1165 email: khalsa@dakotacom.net

Current sponsors:  Catalina UMC, Gandhi Restaurant,  Human Relations Commission, Robert James, JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council),  Rebecca Limas, Angela and Javon Oston, Pima Friends Meeting (Quakers), Jon Rinnander, Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, Harpreet Singh, Abbott and Martha Taylor, Temple Emanu-El/Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund, Temple of
Universality and many anonymous donors. Contact Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa for information on becoming a sponsor.

What is your focus with the task force?

The dilemma is that we hear from the community about complaints of discrimination or incidents that could be classified as hate crimes, but … historically, a lot of these groups have a lot of distrust and don’t feel comfortable going to law enforcement. We’re trying to bridge that gap and figure out how we can get our message out there. We want to inform them what their rights are, and tell them how to report these crimes.

How did the website come about?

We applied and received some funding through the Pima County Attorney’s Office for the website, which is going to help us increase community outreach.

Read Entire Q&A at – http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/tqanda/Content?oid=3235831

Hate crimes. You don’t think about them happening in Tucson, but Justice Department workers say they do happen and often times go unreported.

Tuesday night, the Southern Arizona Hate Task Force met with elected officials, the acting U.S. Attorney and members of the FBI.

The forum is designed to inform the public about how they can report allegations of police misconduct, about the elements of a hate crime, and what to do if they have been a victim of a hate crime. They’ve even launched a website designed to provide community members with factual information about hate crimes and links to important local resources.

Read Entire Article at – http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/16646783/task-force-cracks-down-on-hate-crime

Hate crimes and racial profiling have been hot topics since SB 1070 became law. For the first time there is a meeting in Tuscon to tackle these issues head on. Cronkite News reporter Nathan O’Neal has more.

Learn more and watch the video at http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2012/01/u-s-attorneys-office-to-host-tucsons-first-civil-rights-forum

“Too often hate crimes go unreported. Victims are afraid to come forward and speak out. Survivors of these crimes often don’t know where to turn to for help. They are afraid that people won’t believe them or won’t support them. Thus, this website is an important resource to help raise awareness about hate
crimes while also providing victims with information about where they can get help.” George Miller, former Mayor of Tucson and member of the Southern Arizona Hate Crimes Task Force Executive Committee.

The website launch is set to coincide with the Civil Rights Forum, sponsored by the US Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigations, in collaboration with the Southern Arizona Hate Crimes Task Force. The Civil Rights Forum will take place on Tuesday, January 31st from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at
the YWCA of Tucson, 525 N. Bonita Ave.

“The YWCA is pleased to host this Civil Rights Forum. It is a natural fit with our mission of eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The YWCA commends the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI for sponsoring this forum to raise community awareness about bias crimes and help empower community members to speak out against bigotry and support those who have been harmed by hate incidents.” Janet Marcotte, Executive Director of the YWCA of Tucson.

The design of the new website was made possible through the support of Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall. The Southern Arizona Hate Crimes Task Force also thanks and recognizes the YWCA of Tucson for continuing to serve as the fiscal agent and host for the Task Force.

The Hate Crimes Task Force has an intentionally broad, multi-disciplinary membership comprised of governmental, nonprofit and religious organizations. Membership in the Hate Crimes Task Force is open to religious organizations, ethnic and cultural groups, victim service organizations, law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies that support the Task Force’s mission. Any group interested in becoming a member of the Hate Crimes Task Force should contact Tim Jefferson, Acting Hate Crimes Task Force Coordinator, at 520-620-7461 or sahctf@gmail.com.

Download the PDF

The Department of Justice has a longstanding mission to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. The forum will bring together the faith-based community, local elected officials, the Acting U.S. Attorney, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to discuss the Department of Justice’s role in civil rights matters.

The forum is designed to inform the public about how they can report allegations of police misconduct, about the elements of a hate crime, and what to do if they have been a victim of a hate crime. Additionally, a portion of the forum will focus on the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama in 2009. The act makes it a federal crime to willfully cause, or attempt to cause, bodily injury to another person with any dangerous weapon because of the person’s race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.

“The Department of Justice has a duty to investigate community matters to ensure that an individual’s civil rights are not being violated by law enforcement misconduct or by an individual committing a hate crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel. “As the Acting U.S. Attorney, I would strongly encourage those who feel their civil rights have been violated, and those who feel they have been victims of hate crimes, to have the confidence to report their situations to this office or to the FBI. The office’s Civil Rights Unit vigorously prosecutes crimes of this nature.”

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act carries the names of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd because both were victims of hate crimes. Shepard was killed due to his sexual orientation in 1996. Byrd, who was targeted because he was African American, was murdered in 1998.

The Civil Rights Forum will be held in the main conference room at the Tucson YWCA, which is located at 525 North Bonita Avenue. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the forum will begin at 6:00 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend.

RELEASE NUMBER: 2012-011 (Civil Rights Forum)

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az

Download the PDF 

A Civil Rights Forum for Southern Arizona

Date: January 31, 2012
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: YWCA 525 N. Bonita Avenue, Tucson, AZ  85745

Download PDF Flyer

This event is free and open to the general public.

U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel will hold Tucson’s first Civil Rights Forum focusing on federal civil rights laws such as official misconduct, new federal statutes on hate crimes and the investigation and prosecution of violations.

The Department of Justice has a longstanding mission to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. The forum brings together the faith community, local elected officials, the U.S. Attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to discuss the Department of Justice’s role in civil rights matters. As such, the forum is designed to inform the public about reporting allegations of police misconduct and about the elements of a hate crime and what to do if they have been a victim.

Speakers
Ann Birmingham Scheel, Acting U.S. Attorney
Karen Rolley, Assistant U.S. Attorney
Christopher McKinney, Special Agent FBI

For more information, contact Tim Jefferson at (520) 620-7461