Hate crimes and hate incidents can be disturbing for those directly affected, and for the larger community as well. Unfortunately, neither the Town of Westport nor the State of Connecticut are immune from these incidents.
To tackle them head on, The Westport Library will host United Against Hate: Identifying, Reporting and Preventing Hate Crimes, an interactive learning program that will focus on the difference between a hate incident and a hate crime and alert participants on who to contact when an incident occurs — and why reporting is important.
The event will be held in person in the Library’s Trefz Forum on Tuesday, March 28. There will be a reception at 6 pm, followed by the program at 6:30 pm. Registration is required.
“The U.S. Attorney’s office stands with the LGBTQ+ community and anyone in Connecticut threatened by bigotry or hate,” said Vanessa Roberts Avery (pictured above), U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut and one of the event participants. “As part of our commitment to enforcing federal hate crime laws, we are using the Justice Department’s United Against Hate initiative to bring together community groups, community leaders, and law enforcement to educate, rebuild trust, and strengthen coordination in combatting acts of hate throughout our state.”
In addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, United Against Hate is being held in collaboration with Westport PRIDE, the chiefs of police from Westport and Norwalk, and the Connecticut State Police’s recently formed Hate Crimes Unit. It will feature members of law enforcement who understand the importance of reporting and connecting with the community, with the goal of building trust and strengthening coordination in combating acts of hate throughout the state.
“We’re honored to bring this important program to the Library and to team with such esteemed partners to do so,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “We hope that everyone who attends finds this session as enlightening as we do, and we look forward to working with all our patrons and partners to ensure that Westport continues to be an accepting, welcoming community.”
Event Information:
United Against Hate: Identifying, Reporting and Preventing Hate Crimes
Tuesday, March 28
6 pm (reception), 6:30 (program)
Trefz Forum, Westport Library (20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT)
Register here
Writer Elon Green talks with writer Hugh Ryan about his book, LAST CALL: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York.
Told in depth for the first time, LAST CALL is the gripping true crime story of The Last Call Killer, who preyed upon gay men in New York in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Yet because of the sexuality of his victims, the murders at the hands of this notorious serial killer have been almost entirely forgotten. This socially important piece of history is a nuanced testament to the vibrant gay community and the challenges they faced in the post AIDs milieu of early 90s New York City.
If you missed this event, you can watch the recording anytime in our video gallery.
Community Partner: Westport PRIDE
"LAST CALL, Elon Green's stunner of a debut, scaffolds the gripping account of a serial killer stalking the bars and hangouts of early 1990s queer New York over a heartfelt elegy to the lost lives of the murdered men, of a community ravaged by AIDS, and of a city in perpetual ruin and revival. This is a book I will reread again and again and find new and astonishing insights every time."
-Sarah Weinman, award-winning author of THE REAL LOLITA and editor of UNSPEAKABLE ACTS: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit & Obsession
More than impersonal crime reporting, Last Call brings to life the rich and tragic lives of The Last Call Killer’s victims and exposes the system that allowed them to be silenced. Called “astonishing,” “powerful,” and “meticulously
reported” - David Grann (New York Times bestselling author of KILLERS of the FLOWER MOON)
Elon Green has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The Columbia Journalism Review, and appears in the anthology Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit & Obsession. He is an editor at Longform.
Hugh Ryan is a writer and curator. His first book, When Brooklyn Was Queer, won a 2020 New York City Book Award and was a New York Times Editors' Choice in 2019, and was a finalist for the Randy Shilts and Lambda Literary Awards. His next book, The Prison on Christopher Street, explores NYC's Women's House of Detention and the queer case for prison abolition. @Hugh_Ryan / hughryan.org
This book is perfect for:
