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The Norfolk District Attorney's Office has a Civil Rights Unit made up of attorneys,
victim-witness advocates and education and intervention service professionals
who specialize in hate crimes and civil rights.
Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating
Civil Rights Unit
45 Shawmut Road
Canton,MA 02021
781-830-4800
The District Attorney’s Office works in cooperation with local police to investigate
and prosecute hate crimes and criminal violations of civil rights.
Hate crimes threaten the very foundation on which our country was created: equality for all. Hate crimes are criminal acts against people or property that are motivated by prejudice based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or disability. These include violent assaults and harassment, vandalism and graffiti. Massachusetts has a number of civil and criminal laws that specifically apply to hate crimes.
The District Attorney's Office has the power to prosecute hate crimes as criminal violations. The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has the power to seek a civil injunction against anyone who is interfering with another person's civil rights.
Hate crimes have historically been underreported. This gives hate groups and individuals the mistaken impression that they will not be held accountable for their crimes. Hate crimes are serious offenses. Please help us help you. If you or anyone you know is a victim of a hate crime, we encourage you to report it to your local police. Information on your rights under the law is available in Norfolk District Attorney Keating's civil rights brochure, "Building Bridges of Acceptance."
To request a copy of this brochure, please go to Publications. Online viewing of this brochure will be available in the near future. Specific information concerning protection against Disabled Persons Abuse and Domestic Violence is available on this webpage.
The Anti-Defamation League, one of the nation's oldest and most respected civil rights and human relations organizations, reminds us that: No one is born prejudiced! Prejudice is learned and can be unlearned. Prejudices are attitudes rooted in ignorance and a fear of differences. Whether the seeds are planted around the dinner table, on the playing field, by the water cooler or in the boardroom, if not addressed, they can grow out of control. Even worse, when not uprooted, prejudices get passed on from one generation to the next and can fuel discrimination, victimization, bigotry and hate. With awareness, education, and action, we can weed them out.
Diversity Awareness and Education
The Education and Intervention Services Unit of the District Attorney's Office works together
with schools, faith communities, cultural groups, community organizations and others to promote understanding and respect among all individuals. A wide variety of diversity
awareness and education resources and programs are available. For more information on diversity awareness and multiculturalism, please explore some of the following resources |
RESOURCES
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts
617-482-3170
www.aclu.org
ACLU is the nation’s foremost advocate of individual rights--litigating, legislating and educating the public on a broad array of issues affecting individual freedom in the United States. It is devoted exclusively to protecting the basic civil liberties of all Americans and extending them to groups that have traditionally been denied them. |
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)617-457-8800
http://www.adl.org
ADL provides advocacy, support and legal referral services to victims of hate crimes, harassment and discrimination. The “World of Difference” Program works with schools to fight anti-Semitism, prejudice, bigotry and racism. |
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund99 Hudson Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212-751-4000
http://www.aaldef.org |
Facing History and Ourselves16 Hurd Road
Brookline, MA 02445
617-232-1595
http://www.facinghistory.org |
FBI’s Hate Crimes ReportFederal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pe3nnsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
202-324-3000
www.fbi.gov/ucr/hatecm.htm
This website offers statistics on hate crimes reported in the US. |
Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crime (Massachusetts)
Executive Office of Public Safety, Programs Division100 Cambridge Street, Room 2100
Boston, MA 02202
617-727-6300 x. 339
http://www.mass.gov/StopHate/core.htm
The Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crimes is an agency linking representatives of state and local law enforcement with community advocates to ensure state government’s commitment to the eradication of bias-motivated crime throughout Massachusetts. |
Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crime (Massachusetts)
Stop the Hate Student Civil Rights Project
617-727-6300
http://www.stopthehate.org
Stop The Hate is a service designed to receive reports of hate incidents and hate crimes and to provide information and resources to students, educators, law enforcement and communities to help combat prejudice and hatred in schools. The website offers a list of emergency hotlines and contact information for reporting hate crimes and receiving counseling services. The goal of Stop the Hate is to promote awareness of hate crimes and to provide resources for responding to and preventing such acts. |
Hate Crimes in Massachusetts 1998 Annual Report (Online) http://www.mass.gov/StopHate/ar98/98_stats.htm Information and Statistics on Hate and Bias Crime (Online)http://www.ncjrs.org/hate_crimes/summary.html
This online article explains what constitutes “hate crimes” where they occur, how they occur and who are the targets of hate crimes. The article moves on to describe the government’s and the public’s response to the growing hate crime problem. The web page also contains links to other resources such as statistics, programs, services, publications and information on grants and funding. |
Institute on Race and Poverty: Center on Speech, Equity and Harm
www.umn.edu/irp
Justice Information Center, Hate and Bias Crime Page Information and Links |
La Alianza Hispana - Youth Intervention Program
617-427-7175
http://www.laalianza.org
La Alianza Hispana provides programs and services to the Latino community of Greater Boston, including intervention and referral services to victims of violence and harassment. |
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD)
One Ashburton Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02108
617-727-3990
http://www.state.ma.us/mcad/
The MCAD investigates complaints of discrimination. |
Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD)
1-800-322-2020 or 617-727-7440
http://www.state.ma.us/mod
MOD sponsors recreational and educational programs for youth with disabilities to share concerns about day-to-day issues and coping strategies, independence and self-care. |
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Boston Office
617-265-7900
http://www.naacp.org
The NAACP provides counseling and legal referral to African-American youth and empowers youth to resolve problems relating to violence, harassment and discrimination. |
The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ)
15 Broad Street, Suite 505
617-227-9155
www.nccj.org
The National Conference for Community and Justice founded in 1926 as The National Conference of Christians and Jews, is a human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism in America. NCCJ promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education. |
Norfolk District Attorney
William R. Keating
Education and Intervention Services Unit
Michael Jackman, Director
Norfolk District Attorney’s Office
45 Shawmut Road
Canton,MA 02021
781-830-4800 (x. 212)
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Education and Intervention Services Unit offers information, resources, presentations and training to law enforcement, educators, students and others. A primary goal of the Unit is to promote awareness of hate crime and to provide resources for responding to and preventing such acts. |
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
1101 14th Street NW, Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20005
202-638-4200
http://www.pflag.org
PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through support, education and advocacy to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue
about sexual orientation and gender identity and acts to create a society that is healthy
and respectful of human diversity. |
Simon Wiesenthal Center
1399 South Roxbury
Los Angeles, CA 90035
800-900-9036
http://www.wiesenthal.com
This website provides information and case studies on intolerance, as well as resources available to order online. The Taskforce Against Hate page of the site also features an online hate crime report form. |
Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334-264-0286
http://www.splcenter.org
SPLC is a non-profit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination
through education programs and litigation. Projects include Teaching Tolerance and
The Intelligence program, which incorporates Klanwatch and the Militia Task Force. |
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