PHOENIX – U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke will hold the first of a series of civil rights forums focusing on federal civil rights laws such as official misconduct, new federal statutes on hate crimes and the investigation and prosecution of violations. The forum will be 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, in the auditorium of South Mountain High School at 5401 S. 7th Street. Doors open at 5:30 and the public is encouraged to attend.

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 (FBI) 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.

Additionally, a portion of the forum will also focus on the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act signed by President Obama last year. 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 their 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 U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke. “As the U.S. Attorney, I feel strongly that people should have the confidence to come forward to this office or the FBI if they feel their civil rights have been violated or if they have been a victim of a hate crime. To address this issue, I recently created a Civil Rights Unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Unit not only plays an important role in educating and training law enforcement on civil rights matters, but it also vigorously prosecutes crimes of this nature.”

Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act carries Shepard’s name, who was killed due to his sexual orientation, as well as the name of James Byrd, Jr. Byrd, an African American, was murdered in 1998 when three men in Jasper, Texas, wrapped a chain around his ankles, hooked the chain to a pickup truck and then dragged him for miles over rural roads outside of Jasper. Byrd was targeted by his killers because of his race.