U.S. Attorney's Symposium to Focus on Civil Rights
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Civil rights will be the focus of a one-day conference June 10 in Kansas City, Kan., U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. The conference is being sponsored by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Thomas Perez, the Assistant U.S. Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to speak on the federal agency’s mission to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans.
“We’ve seen civil rights enforcement raised to a top priority and the Civil Rights Division restored and transformed in recent years,” said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom. “I want to make sure that message reaches all Kansans.”
Also scheduled to speak is Sheriff Dave O’Malley of Laramie, Wyoming, who will talk about his experiences during the Matthew Shepard murder investigation. Shepard was tortured and murdered in 1998 by attackers who perceived he was gay. The case helped give rise to the Matthew Shepard and James J. Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Other topics for the conference include:
A panel discussion on fostering cooperation between civil rights groups and law enforcement agencies
A presentation on human trafficking investigations prepared by federal prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri.
A presentation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The symposium is set for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, June 10, 2011, at the Reardon Convention Center in Kansas City, Kan. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and all participants must register in advance.
For more information, visit www.justice.gov/usao/ks or email james.cross2@usdoj.gov.
