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news
Centers counter
hate
By Jamillah R.
Gabriel
On-line Forty-Niner
Arab Americans
have increasingly become targets of hate crimes as a result
of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center's Twin Towers
and the Pentagon.
The terrorist attack
has incited hate crimes nationwide including the 40 hate-related
incidents targeting Arab Americans in Los Angeles County,
according to the Anti-Defamation League, an organization whose
main purpose is to fight anti-Semitism.
Jana Blair, public
information officer at the Long Beach Police Department, said
there have not been any recent incidents of hate crime within
the city of Long Beach.
There are many
organizations and resources available in Southern California
to help combat any such crimes that may be attributed to race,
gender, religion or sexual preference.
One such resource
is Long Beach's Human Dignity Program that was implemented
as part of the city's goal to eliminate prejudice, discrimination,
and stereotyping, all of which can lead to hate crimes and
conflicts between different groups. A highlight of the program
is the Hate Crime Response Team, a group of trained volunteers
who provide support for victims.
"This is an
exciting time for the City of Long Beach and the Human Dignity
Program," said Human Dignity Program Coordinator Anitra
Dempsey. "A lot of hard work has gone into training the
volunteer corps and they are now ready to provide the optimum
level of assistance to victims of hate crimes."
The city also has
a hotline at (562) 433-8595 for those who want to report a
hate crime occurring in Long Beach.
The Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Department has also put together a Hate Crimes
Task Force which "works with the District Attorney, U.S.
Attorney, and the FBI," said Sergeant Katherine Voyer.
She also said they help reassure residents that action is
being taken against hate crimes by holding meetings within
communities throughout the county.
Although the department
does not have a hotline, Voyer said they encourage victims
to call their local agencies to report hate crimes in order
to receive aid as quickly as possible.
To help combat
these incidents, the Sheriff's Department works closely with
other agencies and programs such as the Los Angeles County
Human Relations Commission.
The purpose of
the commission is to improve human relations through collaborations
with cities, schools, organizations and other human relations
councils and commissions. In particular, the commission also
has a Hate Crimes Network, which is coordinated by Marshall
Wong.
The network "is
a group of law enforcement [officials] and community activists
who come together on a quarterly basis for training on hate
crimes" and discuss how to respond to them, said Terri
Villa-McDowell, assistant executive director of the commission.
Other resources
for victims of hate crimes or those who want to help in the
battle against hate-related incidents can call the Orange
County/Long Beach regional office of the Anti-Defamation League
at (714) 979-4733.
The American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee, a civil rights organization
which defends the right of people of Arab descent, has a Western
regional office that can be reached at (714) 636-1232. They,
in conjunction with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, provide
a national hotline to report hate crimes at (800) 552-6843.
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