The Norfolk District Attorney's Office has a Civil Rights team made up of attorneys, victim-witness advocates and education and intervention service professionals who specialize in hate crimes and civil rights. 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 someone you know is a victim of a hate crime, please report it to your local police.
Diversity Awareness and Education
The Crime Prevention 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 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.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Crime Prevention Unit offers information, resources, presentations and training to law enforcement, educators, nurses, 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.
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Helpful Resources
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts
211 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02110
617.482.3170
www.aclum.org
ACLU is 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)
40 court Street #12
Boston, MA 02108
617.406.6300
http://www.adl.org
ADL provides advocacy, support and legal referral services to victims of hate crimes, harassment and discrimination.
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
99 Hudson Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212.966.5932
http://www.aaldef.org
AALDEF is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil righta of Asian Americans.
Facing History and Ourselves
16 Hurd Road
Brookline, MA 02445
617.232.1595
http://www.facinghistory.org
Facing History and Ourselves is an international organization, founded and based in Brookline, that combats bigotry through education.
La Alianza Hispana
409 Dudley Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
617.427.7175
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 | 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
617.727.3990
www.mass.gov/mcad
The MCAD works to eliminate discrimination and advance the civil rights of the people of the Commonwealth.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
330 Martin Luther King Boulevard
Roxbury, MA 02119
617.427.9494
www.bostonnaacp.org
NAACP strives to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights for all persons and to eiliminate racial hatred and discrimination.
The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ)
1095 Day Hill Road, Suite 100
Windsor, CT 06095
860.683.1039
www.nccj.org
NCCJ promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey
Community Outreach Unit
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
85 River Street, Suite 3A
Waltham, MA 02454
781.891.5966
www.gbpflag.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.
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