Title: Promising Practices Against Hate Crimes: Five State and Local
Demonstration Projects.
Series: Monograph
Author: Stephen Wessler
Published: May 2000
Subject: Hate Crimes, Law Enforcement, Police Training
26 pages
43,000 bytes

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NCJ 181425

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U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531

Janet Reno
Attorney General

Daniel Marcus
Acting Associate Attorney General

Mary Lou Leary
Acting Assistant Attorney General

Nancy E. Gist
Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance

Office of Justice Programs
World Wide Web Home Page
www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Bureau of Justice Assistance
World Wide Web Home Page
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

For grant and funding information contact
U.S. Department of Justice Response Center
1-800-421-6770

This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement No.
95-DD-BX-K001, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of
Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice to Community Research
Associates, Inc. This document was prepared by the Center for the Study
and Prevention of Hate Violence, University of Southern Maine, under
contract with Community Research Associates, Inc. The opinions,
findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document
are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official
position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

----------------------------

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice
Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the
National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

----------------------------

Promising Practices Against Hate Crimes: Five State and Local
Demonstration Projects

May 2000

NCJ 181425

Prepared by Stephen Wessler 
Center for the Study and Prevention of Hate Violence 
University of Southern Maine

-------------------------------

Contents

-------------------------------

Executive Summary

o Training and Support for Law Enforcement Professionals
o Meeting the Needs of Hate Crime Victims
o Addressing Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Among Youth

I. Introduction

II. The Simon Wiesenthal Center's National Institutes Against Hate
Crimes

o The Institutes' 4-Day Program at the Museum of Tolerance
o Continuing Efforts of the Institutes--The Creative Use of the Internet
o Summary

III. The Victim Assistance Project in San Diego

o The First Step--Immediate Response
o The Second Step--Followup Contact
o The Third Step--Weeks 2 Through 4
o Summary

IV. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's JOLT Program

o Prevention
o Early Intervention
o Prosecution
o Summary

V. The Maine Department of the Attorney General's Civil Rights Team
Project

o Trainings and Workshops
o Mini-Grants
o Statewide Conferences
o Summary

VI. The Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes

o The Civil Rights Team Program
o Stop the Hate Week

VII. Conclusion


VIII. For More Information

-------------------------------

Executive Summary

-------------------------------

The five demonstration programs described in this monograph are among
our nation's most promising models for confronting and reducing hate
crime. These programs, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office
of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, were developed by state
and local agencies. The first program provides training to law enforcement
professionals; the second program addresses the needs of hate crime
victims; and the last three programs focus on bias among youth, with an
emphasis on removing hate from public schools.

Training and Support for Law Enforcement Professionals

o The Simon Wiesenthal Center's National Institutes Against Hate
Crimes--Brings together multidisciplinary teams of law enforcement
professionals from cities, regions, and states for a 4-day intensive course at
the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, California. By the end of the
course, each team has developed a comprehensive, coordinated plan for
addressing hate crimes in its community.

Meeting the Needs of Hate Crime Victims

o The San Diego Police Department and the Anti-Defamation League's
Victim Assistance Project--Responds to hate crime victims' emotional and
practical needs. When a hate crime is reported in San Diego, a trained
victim assistance volunteer from the San Diego Police Department is
called to the scene to provide emotional support and to coordinate services
for pressing needs such as transportation, counseling, and medical
attention. The project's victim assistance coordinator then works with the
investigating detective to provide followup contact with the victim for
weeks after the incident.

Addressing Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Among Youth


o The Los Angeles County District Attorney's JOLT Program--Combines
a comprehensive training program for faculty and staff at K-12 schools to
recognize and deal with hate problems, a diversion program for juveniles
who are involved in bias incidents and less serious hate crimes, and
aggressive prosecution of teenagers who commit serious hate crimes or
fail to complete the diversion program.

o The Maine Department of the Attorney General's Civil Rights Team
Project--Uses teams of students and faculty members to promote
awareness of bias and prejudice in Maine's public high schools, middle
schools, and elementary schools. More than 1,900 students in 133 schools
statewide have participated.

o The Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes--Uses civil
rights teams in high schools that are similar to the teams that have been
established in the Maine project. The task force also promotes Stop the
Hate Week throughout the Commonwealth and has sponsored a variety of
student-directed events focusing on hate and bias prevention in schools.

-------------------------------

I. Introduction

-------------------------------

The impact of hate crimes is devastating to individual victims, entire
communities, and, indeed, to the nation as a whole. Hate crimes, however,
are being challenged in countless ways across this country by state and
county prosecutorial agencies, police departments, civil rights advocacy
organizations, and others. It is only through the creativity, hard work, and
passion of the dedicated individuals who work for these many institutions
that we will conquer hate, bias, and prejudice.

Nancy Gist
Director 
Bureau of Justice Assistance

----------------------------

Bias, prejudice, and the violence they engender are not a new phenomenon
in America. The trial and execution of women suspected of being witches
in colonial New England, the brutal and often deadly treatment of Native
Americans by westward-moving European Americans, the anti-Catholic
fervor of the Know Nothings in the 1850s, the bloody rampages of the
newly born Ku Klux Klan in the South during Reconstruction, and the
intimidation, beatings, and killings of southern blacks and civil rights
workers in the 1960s stand as only a partial testament to our nation's tragic
experience with hate and violence. During the 1980s and 1990s and
continuing into this decade, we have witnessed hate crimes directed at
African Americans, gays and lesbians, women, Jews, Asian Americans,
Latinos, Native Americans, and the physically and mentally disabled.
Some of these hate crimes--the murders of James Byrd, Jr., in Jasper,
Texas, and Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming--have captured the
nation's headlines, whereas too many others have occurred in virtual
anonymity.

The persistence of hate crimes throughout our history does not, however,
mean that bias, prejudice, and violence are intractable. Across this country,
people are developing new ways to confront hate. A monograph published
by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recently described six such
innovative initiatives.[1] This monograph describes five additional efforts
funded by BJA as demonstration sites.

o The Simon Wiesenthal Center's National Institutes Against Hate Crimes,
an intensive 4-day course that brings together teams of law enforcement
professionals from cities, regions, and states to develop new and
coordinated initiatives to combat hate crimes.

o The San Diego Police Department and the Anti-Defamation League's
Victim Assistance Project, an innovative collaboration to provide victims
of hate crimes with both immediate and emotional assistance.

o The Los Angeles County District Attorney's JOLT Program, a
comprehensive early intervention, prevention, and diversion initiative
addressing teenage perpetrators of hate crimes and bias incidents. 

o The Maine Department of the Attorney General's Civil Rights Team
Project, a statewide program for preventing bias, prejudice, harassment,
and violence that is used in more than 120 high schools, middle schools,
and elementary schools.

o The Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes, a civil rights
team project that sponsors student-directed events and Stop the Hate Week
in schools throughout the Commonwealth.

Individually, each demonstration project presents a new and creative effort
for confronting the nation's problem with hate crimes. Collectively, the
programs demonstrate that multifaceted approaches are needed to
confront, respond to, and prevent hate violence. The most effective
approaches include coordination among all components of the criminal
justice system, focused efforts to address the needs of the victims of hate
crimes, diversion programs for youth, and activities encouraging hate
crime prevention in our schools. Ultimately, our success in decreasing the
number of hate crimes will depend upon many organizations, both
governmental and private, using similarly creative approaches to
combating bias, prejudice, and violence. 

-------------------------------

Footnote: 

1. Stephen Wessler, February 2000, Addressing Hate Crimes: Six
Initiatives That Are Enhancing the Efforts of Criminal Justice
Professionals, Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S.
Department of Justice 
-------------------------------

II. The Simon Wiesenthal Center's National Institutes Against Hate
Crimes

-------------------------------

The concept of the Institutes is to bring together teams of criminal justice
professionals in leadership positions throughout the United States, and
challenge them, individually and as a group, to formulate fresh thinking,
create new strategic theory, and design blueprints for collaborative action.

Liebe Geft
Director
Museum of Tolerance
Simon Wiesenthal Center

----------------------------

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, through its acclaimed Museum of
Tolerance in Los Angeles, California, created the National Institutes
Against Hate Crimes with a grant from BJA. The Institutes utilize the
Museum, a faculty of nationally recognized experts on hate crimes, and
the Internet to conduct intensive training sessions with teams of criminal
justice officials from cities, regions, and states.


The Institutes' 4-Day Program at the Museum of Tolerance

Each Institute hosts three to five teams. Each team has six members: one
judge or other representative of the judiciary, one prosecuting attorney,
one public defender, one probation officer, and two law enforcement
officers. Although most teams are from densely populated metropolitan
areas such as greater New York City and Los Angeles County, some teams
are from smaller, more rural states. Participants for the course are chosen
for the leadership positions they hold within their communities and within
their organizations. Each team is expected to formulate new strategic
approaches to combating hate crimes based on a fresh understanding of the
unique elements that differentiate hate crimes from other criminal acts.

Day 1

The program begins with a facilitated tour of the Simon Wiesenthal
Center's Museum of Tolerance. The museum's interactive exhibits allow
participants to study the dynamics of bias, prejudice, oppression, and hate
violence. Museum exhibits present the Holocaust in both historical and
contemporary contexts. Participants have frequently stated that the tour is
a moving, thought-provoking beginning to their work.

For law enforcement professionals, the tour is a unique opportunity to
compare historic events to present-day situations they may encounter on
the job. According to museum Director Liebe Geft, the tour encourages
participants to hold a mirror to themselves and confront closely held
beliefs.

In the afternoon, participants hear and discuss the personal experience of a
victim of hate violence. Presenters have included Holocaust survivors and
an African American who as a child was involved in the desegregation of
the Little Rock, Arkansas, schools. One participant commented that
hearing from a Holocaust survivor demonstrated the "ability to translate
personal horror into activism."

The remainder of the day is devoted to sessions led by experts on different
facets of hate crimes. Topics include demographics, crime mapping, and
the impact of hate crimes on victims and their communities. These
sessions are followed by a panel and breakout group discussion of best
practices in law enforcement to combat hate crimes. The panel includes
representatives of the judiciary, prosecutor's office, public defender's
office, probation department, and police department.

Day 2 

The day begins with a presentation on contemporary hate groups, followed
by a discussion of constitutional issues surrounding the enforcement of
hate crime laws. A former member of an organized hate group describes
his or her personal history. The afternoon session explores intergroup
tensions and how those tensions affect hate crimes, the different strategies
for combating hate crimes, and the process for reaching a consensus
among team members in selecting the best strategies.

Day 3 

Each team spends the third day working together to develop innovative
and coordinated strategies for addressing hate crimes in their jurisdiction.
The goal is to create a detailed blueprint for collaboration that can be
implemented when team members are back in their communities. This
effort is at the heart of the Institutes, and the most important challenge for
team members is to work together to implement the plan. 

Day 4

The final day examines the explosive growth in the use of the Internet by
hate groups. At the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1990, only one hate site
existed on the Internet. In January 2000, there were more than 2,000 such
sites.

Continuing Efforts of the Institutes--The Creative Use of the Internet

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has developed an innovative approach to
using the Internet for the Institutes' participants. Each participant is issued
a personal password to access the center's customized Web site. The
password enables participants to obtain up-to-date information and
resources on hate crimes, to stay connected with the center's staff, and to
communicate with one another. The Wiesenthal Center also plans to
conduct two video conferences at which the teams will share the results of
their efforts.

Summary

The Simon Wiesenthal Center plans to conduct at least 10 Institutes in
2000. What sets these programs apart is not only their intensity but also
their focus on developing concrete strategies for implementing coordinated
hate crime prevention and response efforts. Participants' access to
sophisticated computer technology allows teams from all over the country
to share best practices as they begin the difficult job of confronting hate
crimes in their local communities.

-------------------------------

III. The Victim Assistance Project in San Diego 

-------------------------------

We want to send a strong message: We are not going to tolerate hate
crimes in San Diego.

David Bejarano
Chief of Police
San Diego Police Department

Hate crimes are message crimes. The message they carry is, "You don't
belong here; you don't matter." The message we mean to convey is just the
opposite: "Those who would make our people afraid and divide our
communities will not succeed."

Morris Casuto
Director
San Diego Regional Office, 
Anti-Defamation League

-------------------------------    

Individuals who are targeted because of their racial identity, religion,
nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or physical or mental
disability not only suffer physical injury and property damage but also
frequently feel intense fear and isolation. For many hate crime victims,
this emotional degradation leaves deeper scars than physical injury. The
San Diego Victim Assistance Project addresses both the immediate and
the emotional needs of victims of hate crimes in a comprehensive,
citywide program.

The First Step--Immediate Response

The first response of a San Diego police officer to a hate crime is to call in
an Anti-Defamation League-trained crisis interventionist who works
directly with victims at the scene of a crime. At the scene, the crisis
interventionist confers with the officer and then meets with the victims to
talk about their needs. Frequently, the initial need of victims is validation
of their feelings of anger, fear, and isolation. The crisis interventionist
addresses this need and determines what tangible support the victims
require, often staying with them long after the responding officer has taken
a report.

The Second Step--Followup Contact


On the following day, the crisis interventionist contacts the victim
assistance coordinator, who manages and coordinates the Victim
Assistance Project's response to hate crime victims. The victim assistance
coordinator immediately calls or visits the victims to assess their needs for
ongoing services. The detective investigating the incident also contacts the
victims at this time. This followup is crucial for two reasons: It provides
continuing emotional support and it allows the victim assistance
coordinator to assess the victims' changing needs and to make referrals to
community organizations and service providers.

As part of this project, the victim assistance coordinator has developed a
list of community-based organizations and other service providers who
arrange services at no or reduced cost to victims of hate crimes. These
services include repainting homes, religious buildings, or other institutions
defaced by hate graffiti; fixing or replacing windshields broken by
vandals; repairing or replacing locks; and moving victims to new housing.

The Third Step--Weeks 2 Through 4

The third step in the project occurs 2 to 4 weeks after a hate crime. During
this period, the victim assistance coordinator discusses the status of the
investigation with the detective and calls or visits victims to report on how
the case is progressing. The victim assistance coordinator reassesses
whether the victims have ongoing emotional or practical needs and makes
appropriate referrals. Regular updates on the investigation are also
provided at this stage by the investigating detective. The victim assistance
coordinator's regular contact with victims usually ends at this point.

-------------------------------

Most victims of hate crimes are injured not only externally but also to the
soul. We want to help repair their souls and bring the community together.
Too often, victims of hate crimes don't know where to go. That will not be
a problem in San Diego.

Morris Casuto
Director
San Diego Regional Office, 
Anti-Defamation League

-------------------------------

Summary


The San Diego Victim Assistance Project is special because it combines
immediate response to the needs of hate crime victims with followup
contact and services for several weeks after a hate crime has occurred.
Moreover, the project is one of the few that focuses simultaneously on
victims' two different types of needs: the emotional and the tangible. Most
important, it sends a strong message to perpetrators of hate crimes that
their bias, prejudice, and violence are not tolerated in San Diego.

-------------------------------

IV. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's JOLT Program

-------------------------------

Every student should be able to attend school without being subject to
harassment or worse because of their race, religion, ethnicity, gender,
sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability. Simply put, the JOLT
Program seeks to ensure that every student is able to realize this important
and basic goal.

Gil Garcetti
District Attorney
Los Angeles County

----------------------------

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's JOLT (Juvenile Offenders
Learning Tolerance) Program is an innovative hate crime initiative for
youth that combines prevention, early intervention, and prosecution. JOLT
focuses on hate crime in Antelope Valley, a sprawling community 80
miles northeast of Los Angeles with a population of 200,000 residents and
64 schools. The region has one of the highest juvenile hate crime rates in
Los Angeles County and the state of California. Juvenile hate crimes have
targeted the region's African-American, Hispanic, and gay and lesbian
populations. 

Prevention

JOLT's prevention component has two separate parts. The first involves
intensive 2-day educational workshops for school faculty, staff, and
administrators at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance in
Los Angeles. The museum's interactive Holocaust exhibits allow visitors
to explore issues of bias, prejudice, and hate violence. Teachers are taken
on a facilitated tour of the museum and then participate in a workshop
focusing on valuing differences, engaging in cross-cultural
communications, and developing specific tools for addressing these issues
in their curriculum.

The second part of JOLT's prevention component is onsite training at
Antelope Valley schools. The entire faculty, staff, and administration of
elementary, junior high, and high schools attend full-day workshops
provided by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office or the
Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation. Facing History and
Ourselves, an organization that develops curricula and workshops for
teachers on bias, prejudice, harassment, and hate, was recognized in the
President's Initiative on Race 1999 publication, Pathways to One America
in the 21st Century: Promising Practices for Racial Reconciliation.

A second workshop is conducted by the Los Angeles County District
Attorney's Office using the Flashpoint curriculum. Teachers are instructed
how to incorporate the curriculum into elementary and junior high school
classes. The curriculum uses film, music, and written material to educate
young people about civil rights, biases, stereotypes, and discrimination.

Early Intervention

JOLT's early intervention program is a preprosecution diversion program
for juveniles 12 to 18 years old who have engaged in bias-motivated
misconduct or have committed low-level hate crimes. Juveniles are given
the option of being suspended or expelled from school or participating in
the diversion program. Similarly, the Los Angeles County District
Attorney's Office refers juveniles who have been accused of committing
less serious hate crimes to the program.

Juveniles who elect to go through the diversion program start with an
informal hearing in the County District Attorney's Office, accompanied by
their parents or guardians. The hearing process is held within a week of the
referral to show juveniles that their conduct has immediate consequences.
Juveniles who are determined by the District Attorney's Office to have
engaged in bias-motivated conduct or a hate crime and who show a degree
of accountability, sign a JOLT contract. Under the contract, they must (1)
complete an intensive antihate curriculum, (2) attend a training program
focusing on anger management and conflict resolution, (3) write letters of
apology to the victims, (4) fulfill a restitution agreement, if appropriate,
and (5) attend school, receive satisfactory grades, and demonstrate good
citizenship.

The antihate curricula used in JOLT--one for juveniles and one for their
parents or guardians--were developed by the National Conference for
Community and Justice (NCCJ). The curriculum for juveniles is taught in
3-hour sessions for 7 weeks. The sessions for parents are held for 10
weeks. Both curricula focus on giving participants a better understanding
of their own biases and the impact of bias-motivated harassment, property
damage, and violence on victims.

The benefits are significant for juveniles who complete the diversion
program. They avoid the filing of a petition in juvenile delinquency court
and are allowed to return to or remain in school. More important, they
begin to understand the destructive consequences of their hate and the
need to view diversity in their community from a different perspective.

Prosecution

The final component of the JOLT Program is prosecution for three types
of juveniles. Juveniles who have committed serious, often violent, hate
crimes are categorized as hardcore offenders and are considered to be
unsuitable for the diversion program. This category also includes juveniles
who have engaged in two or more incidents of bias-motivated misconduct.
Juveniles who are referred to JOLT but refuse to sign the JOLT contract
are also dealt with in this component. The final category includes juveniles
who sign the JOLT contract but fail to meet its requirements.

Summary

What sets JOLT apart is its comprehensive approach to addressing
bias-motivated misconduct by juveniles at a variety of levels. The program
helps teachers incorporate issues of diversity and respect into the
classroom, gives juveniles an alternative to the court process, and protects
the community by prosecuting juveniles who have committed serious,
violent crimes or who refuse to participate in educational or diversion
activities.

-------------------------------

V. The Maine Department of the Attorney General's Civil Rights Team
Project

-------------------------------

No students in this state should have to experience anxiety, fear, or terror
in their elementary, middle, or high school because of the color of their
skin, their religion, their gender, their sexual orientation, their disability, or
any other aspect of themselves that makes them different from other
students. The secret to the success of the Civil Rights Team Project is law
enforcement working together with teachers and administrators to
empower students to stand up for civility and respect. The concept is
simple; the concept is powerful; and the concept works. 

Andrew Ketterer
Attorney General
State of Maine

-------------------------------

In fall 1996, the Maine Attorney General used BJA funds to start the Civil
Rights Team Project in 18 middle and high schools. The project addressed
school-based bias, prejudice, harassment, and violence. In 1997, with a
larger grant from BJA, the project expanded to 58 schools and has
continued to grow since then. As of the 1999-2000 school year, more than
117 middle and high schools and 4 elementary schools had developed civil
rights teams. More than 1,700 students in Maine now participate in civil
rights teams.

Maine's civil rights teams are made up of three or four students per grade,
plus two or three faculty advisers. The teams have two formal
responsibilities. First, they promote awareness of bias and prejudice within
their schools. Second, they organize forums for students to talk about
harassment. If a team receives information about harassment, it is charged
with forwarding that information to a responsible teacher or administrator.
The Attorney General's office assigns a community adviser to each team to
serve as liaison between the team and the Department of the Attorney
General. 

Trainings and Workshops 

Maine's Department of the Attorney General provides full-day training
each fall for new and returning civil rights teams and for faculty and community
advisers. These trainings, which are conducted by staff of the Department of the
Attorney General using the office's own curriculum, include the following:

o A presentation on the type of hate crimes committed in Maine schools.

o Interactive exercises on the role of degrading language and slurs in
escalating a situation to serious harassment and violence.

o A presentation by a Holocaust survivor or a victim of bias and prejudice
in Maine.

o Role-playing exercises on how to run effective civil rights team
meetings.

o Small group work on real-life scenarios.

o Plans for the upcoming year.

Every school participating in the civil rights team project agrees to host
the Department of the Attorney General for a half-day workshop for
faculty, administrators, and staff. The workshop gives teachers and other
school staff a better understanding of the destructive impact of degrading
language and bias-motivated harassment and teaches them how to
intervene when students engage in such behavior.

Mini-Grants

The Department of the Attorney General has developed a mini-grant
program that provides civil rights teams up to $300 for projects addressing
bias, prejudice, and harassment. Civil rights teams have used these grants
to buy materials for bulletin boards focusing on civil rights issues; to pay
for speakers on civil rights issues; to produce documentary films showing
the importance of preventing bias, prejudice, and harassment; and to fund
numerous other projects.

Statewide Conferences 

Each spring, the Department of the Attorney General holds a statewide
conference for all of the civil rights team students and their advisers. In
spring 1999, more than 1,000 students attended the conference, which was
held at the Civic Center in Augusta, the state capital. Students attended
plenary and breakout sessions on understanding different aspects of
diversity and developing skills to pursue civil rights causes within their
schools.

Summary 

The success of the Maine Civil Rights Team Project lies in its ability to
tap the energies of the large number of students who are committed to
ensuring that schools are places where respect for difference is valued and
where no student should be scared because of harassment or violence.
Increasingly, student civil rights team members are becoming leaders in
their schools in confronting harassment and promoting diversity and
respect for difference.
-------------------------------

VI. The Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes

-------------------------------

The Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes has initiated a
two-part school project focusing on preventing hate violence. The first
component of the program was the establishment of civil rights teams in
seven Massachusetts high schools in fall 1999. The second component,
scheduled for May 1-7, 2000, is Stop the Hate Week, a public awareness
and education campaign targeting schools and communities throughout the
Commonwealth. BJA has provided funding for both components of the
project. 

The Civil Rights Team Program

In early fall 1999, the Task Force selected seven pilot high schools as sites
for civil rights teams. The civil rights teams are located in high schools
throughout the Commonwealth. The teams, which have 12 to 18 students,
work in their schools to promote an understanding of diversity and to
decrease school-based bias, prejudice, and harassment.

The Task Force partnered with the National Conference for Community
and Justice to develop curricula and conduct training for the seven civil
rights teams. In mid-October 1999, NCCJ conducted a 2-day training
program for more than 100 students and faculty advisers. The workshop's
activities increased the students' understanding of their own biases and
prejudices and taught them skills to make their schools more accepting of
difference and ultimately safer. NCCJ and the Task Force also developed a
curriculum for training teachers on how to reduce bias, prejudice,
harassment, and hate violence in their schools. During 2000, the Task
Force will conduct half-day workshops for faculty, staff, and
administrators at each of the seven schools with civil rights teams.

The Governor's Task Force is creating a Web site (www.stopthehate.org)
for the project. The site has two components: The first provides public
information on the Task Force's programs, and the second is accessible by
civil rights teams with a private password. This site will permit student
members of civil rights teams in Maine, Massachusetts, and West Virginia
(which established a civil rights team project in 15 schools in 1999
through its Attorney General's Office) to communicate with one another.

Stop the Hate Week

In the first week of May 2000, the Task Force, in conjunction with the
seven participating civil rights teams, will sponsor Stop the Hate Week in
middle and high schools throughout the state. The event will distribute
hate crimes curricula to schools throughout Massachusetts and promote
"bystander responsibility" for acting against bias, prejudice, and hate
crimes. Stop the Hate Week will also include cultural and educational
activities such as art exhibits on civil rights history; speaking events
featuring survivors of the Holocaust; community forums in Boston,
Worcester, and Springfield; and a variety of programs directed and
sponsored by students themselves. The Task Force expects to disseminate
public service announcements to media outlets statewide focusing on civil
rights issues and respect for differences. 

-------------------------------

VII. Conclusion

-------------------------------

No one approach exists to confronting and preventing hate crimes in this
nation. Rather, hate crimes will only be successfully addressed when
countless people throughout the 50 states work together to develop
approaches that are appropriate for their local communities and work
individually to develop the courage and skills to serve as role models of
civility and respect. We hope that others will take the programs described
in this monograph as guideposts for developing their own programs
tailored to the needs of their communities.

Rose Ochi
Director
Community Relations Service
U.S. Department of Justice

-------------------------------

BJA and every component of the U.S. Department of Justice have made it
a priority to stop hate-motivated violence. Disturbing acts of violence and
harassment based on racial and ethnic identity, religion, nationality, sexual
orientation, gender, and disability occur in every type of American
community, from the inner city to the smallest rural town. But in the face
of this violence, communities are fighting back. 

Like the organizations and community leaders cited in this monograph,
schools, civil rights groups, police departments, prosecutors' offices,
county and local governments, and neighborhood organizations are taking
action against hate-motivated violence. Their innovative programs often
take different approaches, tapping each community's unique resources.
However, these communities are bound together by their creativity and by
the dedication of the growing number of men, women, and youth who
passionately devote their time and energy to confront hate crimes. BJA
will continue to highlight these promising and effective programs,
providing resources and ideas to other communities combating hate
violence.

-------------------------------

VIII. For More Information

-------------------------------

Please use the contact information below to learn more about the programs
discussed in this monograph.

Simon Wiesenthal Center's National Institutes Against Hate Crimes
Liebe Geft, Director
Museum of Tolerance
9760 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035-4572
310-553-8403
World Wide Web: www.wiesenthal.com/
Lucinda Freeman, Project Coordinator 
310-772-7619
E-mail: Lfreeman@wiesenthal.net

San Diego Police Department and Anti-Defamation League's Victim
Assistance Project
Anna M. Knuth, Officer 
San Diego Police Department
1401 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101-5729
858-573-5040
or
Morris Casuto, Director 
San Diego Regional Office, 
Anti-Defamation League
7851 Mission Center Court
Suite 320
San Diego, CA 92108-1328
619-293-3770

Los Angeles County District Attorney's JOLT Program
Linda Baek, Deputy District Attorney/JOLT Program Manager 
320 West Temple Street 
Room 780-29
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-893-2118

Maine Department of the Attorney General's Civil Rights Team Project
Thomas Harnett, Assistant Attorney General 
6 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
207-626-8848
E-mail: Thomas.a.Harnett@state.me.us
World Wide Web: www.state.me.us/ag/crt/crt.htm

Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes
Christina Bouras, Executive Director
Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes 
c/o Executive Office of Public Safety, Programs Division
1 Ashburn Place, Suite 2110
Boston, MA 02108
617-727-6300, Ext. 25339
World Wide Web: 
www.stopthehate.org

For information from other organizations that are addressing hate crimes,
please contact any of the organizations listed below.

Anti-Defamation League
823 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
212-490-2525

Arab American Institute
918 16th Street NW., Suite 601
Washington, DC 20006
202-429-9210
Fax: 202-429-9214

Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 Seventh Street NW., Fourth Floor
Washington, DC 20531
202-616-6500
Fax: 202-305-1367

Bureau of Justice Statistics
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
202-307-0765
Fax: 202-307-5846

Community Relations Service
U.S. Department of Justice
600 E Street NW., Suite 2000
Washington, DC 20530
202-305-2935
Fax: 202-305-3009

Disability Law Center
11 Beacon Street, Suite 925
Boston, MA 02108
617-723-8455
Fax: 617-723-9125


Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation
16 Hurd Road
Brookline, MA 02146
617-232-1595
Fax: 617-232-0281

Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
10th Street and Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW.
Washington, DC 20535
202-324-1143

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Criminal Justice Information Services Division
Attn: Uniform Crime Reports
1000 Custer Hollow Road Clarksburg, WV 26306
304-625-4995
Fax: 304-625-5394

Human Rights Campaign
919 18th Street NW.
Washington, DC 20006
202-628-4160
Fax: 202-347-5323

International Association of Chiefs of Police
515 North Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2357
703-836-6767
Fax: 703-836-4543

National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium
1140 Connecticut Avenue NW., Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036
202-296-2300
Fax: 202-296-2318

National Conference of Christians and Jews 
71 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1100
New York, NY 10003
212-206-0006
Fax: 212-255-6177

National Congress of American Indians
2010 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Second Floor
Washington, DC 20036
202-466-7767
Fax: 202-466-7797

National Council of La Raza
1111 19th Street NW., Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036
202-785-1670
Fax: 202-776-1792

National Criminal Justice Association
444 North Capitol Street NW., Suite 618
Washington, DC 20001
202-624-1440
Fax: 202-508-3859

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
1700 Kalorama Road NW.
Washington, DC 20009-2702
202-332-6483
Fax: 202-332-0207

National Network of Violence Prevention
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02158
617-969-7100
Fax: 617-244-3436

National Women's Law Center
11 Dupont Circle NW., Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
202-588-5180
Fax: 202-588-5185

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
202-307-5911
Fax: 202-307-2093


Office for Victims of Crime
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
202-307-5983
Fax: 202-514-6383

President's Initiative on One America
The Old Executive Office Building
Washington, DC 20502
202-395-1010

Simon Wiesenthal Center
9760 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035
310-553-9036
Fax: 310-553-8007

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
624 Ninth Street NW., Suite 700
Washington, DC 20425
202-337-0382
Fax: 202-376-7558

U.S. Department of Education
600 Independence Avenue SW.
Washington, DC 20202
202-205-5557
Fax: 202-205-5381

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 Seventh Street SW., Room 10000
Washington, DC 20410
202-708-0417
Fax: 202-708-2476

U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section
601 D Street NW
Washington, DC 20530
202-514-3204
Fax: 202-514-8336

Violence Against Women Office
800 K Street NW., Suite 900
Washington, DC 20531
202-616-8894
Fax: 202-307-3911

Women's Legal Defense Fund
1875 Connecticut Avenue NW., Suite 710
Washington, DC 20009
202-986-2600
Fax: 202-986-2539

For additional information about BJA programs, contact:

Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
1-800-688-4252
Fax: 301-519-5212

Clearinghouse staff are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7
p.m. eastern time. Ask to be placed on the BJA mailing list.

U.S. Department of Justice Response Center
1-800-421-6770 or 202-307-1480

Response Center staff are available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. eastern time.

----------------------------

Bureau of Justice Assistance Information

General Information

Callers may contact the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center for
general information or specific needs, such as assistance in submitting
grant applications and information on training. To contact the Response
Center, call 1-800-421-6770 or write to 1100 Vermont Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20005.

Indepth Information

For more indepth information about BJA, its programs, and its funding
opportunities, requesters can call the BJA Clearinghouse. The BJA
Clearinghouse, a component of the National Criminal Justice Reference
Service (NCJRS), shares BJA program information with state and local
agencies and community groups across the country. Information
specialists are available to provide reference and referral services,
publication distribution, participation and support for conferences, and
other networking and outreach activities. The Clearinghouse can be
reached by

o Mail 
P.O. Box 6000 
Rockville, MD 20849-6000

o Visit
2277 Research Boulevard 
Rockville, MD 20850

o Telephone 
1-800-688-4252 
Monday through Friday 
8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time

o Fax 
301-519-5212

o Fax on Demand 
1-800-688-4252

o BJA Home Page 
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

o NCJRS World Wide Web 
http://www.ncjrs.org

o E-mail 
askncjrs@ncjrs.org

o JUSTINFO Newsletter 
E-mail to listproc@ncjrs.org 
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