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
