U.S. Attorney’s Office to Host Forum on Protecting Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian Communities and Responding to Hate and Bias Crimes

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler has announced that his office, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Minnehaha County States Attorney’s Office, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Sioux Falls Police Department, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will present a forum on protecting Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian Communities. The discussion will revolve around responding to hate and bias crimes targeted against these groups. A representative from the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS) will help facilitate the discussion.

The Forum will be held on Thursday, March 30, 2017, from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, at the Sioux Falls Library located in downtown Sioux Falls at 200 N. Dakota Avenue. The free conference is open to the public and will feature conversations with leaders of diverse community, faith-based, and non-profit organizations in Sioux Falls and the surrounding areas.

Pursuant to the Hate Crimes Protection Act, CRS is authorized to work with communities to help them develop the capacity to prevent and respond more effectively to violent hate crimes committed on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. CRS is a remarkably unique federal component dedicated to assisting state and local units of government, private and public organizations, and community groups develop local capacity to prevent racial and ethnic tensions.

To learn more about the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service, visit: https://www.justice.gov/crs.