The Justice Department on Thursday announced a new initiative to fight hate crimes in New York’s West Side, where a white gunman shot and killed 10 people in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo earlier this year.
Push News: The Coalition Against Hate initiative connects federal, state and local law enforcement with marginalized communities “directly” to foster trust, strengthen coordination and encourage hate crime reporting.
- The regional effort is part of a national initiative recently announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
- The Justice Department is expected to expand 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices over the next year.
What are they talking about: “The horrific events of May 14 claimed the lives of 10 members of our community because of their race and simply because they were black,” Trini E. Ross, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, said in a statement. said in a statement. “Such race-based hatred is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in this community or our society.”
- The new initiative will bring together law enforcement agencies “to work with the communities most vulnerable to hate crimes or hate incidents, while holding those who perpetrate them accountable for their actions,” Ross added.
- “The Department of Justice is committed to mobilizing all available resources to hold accountable those who engage in unlawful acts of hate,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Big picture: An 18-year-old man accused of a mass shooting has pleaded not guilty to 25 criminal charges against him, including one charge of hate-motivated domestic terrorism.
deeper: Racist conspiracy theory cited by Buffalo shooter