U.S. DOJ Hate Crimes Forum Planned In Glasgow
Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson told the Glasgow Courier that the U.S. Department of Justice will host a digital hate crime forum for area residents on Jan. 28. The forum will feature a panel of federal, state and local law enforcement on how federal law defines hate crimes and how such crimes are treated and investigated.
According to Erickson, similar forums have been held in Missoula, Bozeman and Billings.
Erickson said the DOJ proposed the forum. A series of panels is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. and will run through 8:30 p.m. The panels will be accessible online.
A community panel of presenters will feature Meshayla Cox of the Montana Racial Equity Project, Angeline Cheek with the Montana American Civil Liberties Union and Poplar High School student Catherine Bear. The community panel will discuss racial bias, culture, heritage and experiences with hate crimes/ discrimination, as well as the relationship between law enforcement and the Native American community in northeast Montana. Panel participants will respond to questions.
A law enforcement panel will discuss enforcement of hate crimes. The panel will include Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McCarthy; FBI Agent Steven Hymas; Anna Sullivan, city attorney for Glasgow, Wolf Point and the Town of Fort Peck; Valley County Sheriff Tom Boyer; and Assistant Glasgow Police Chief Tyler Edwards. A final segment will feature resources from the Montana Racial Equity Project and the DOJ Community Relations Service.
“I would like our community to take away from this educational forum an understanding of what a hate crime consists of and what the laws are addressing hate crimes and bias incidents and why they happen in both large cities and rural areas,” said Erickson. “Glasgow is not a hateful community, but I support the offer for education and public awareness on these issues.”
To access the forum, email rosa.salamanca@usdoj.gov for the link or by Webex at meeting number 199 471 8985, with the password A5Pm-CRDgr53. Call the City of Glasgow for more information at 406-228-2476.
