Large Turnout for United Against Hate Workshop

More than 75 people turned out at Temple Habonim in Barrington on March 27^th, 2024, for the latest in a series of public workshops hosted by the United States Attorney’s Office to raise awareness about incidents of hate and discrimination, and to better understand related protections of free speech.

Following opening remarks from the evening’s host, Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman and United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, Assistant United States Attorney Amy R. Romero and FBI Special Agent Pepper Daigler presented a workshop on identifying hate incidents and experiences, free speech protections, and how and where to report allegations of hate incidents and potential discrimination based on race or religion.

Ms. Romero and Ms. Daigler’s presentations were followed by a spirited panel discussion led by David Neill, Violent Crime Prevention and Community Outreach Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office, with input and questions from the community, that included Barrington Police, Detective Lieutenant Ben Ferreira; Commission on Prejudice & Bias Chairperson Joseph Reddish; Rabbi Voss-Altman; Shane Lee representing the Nonviolence institute; and Cultural Society Founder Jeannie Salomon.

The United Against Hate program is a Department of Justice initiative that connects the community with federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to increase community awareness and understanding of the importance of reporting of hate crimes; build trust between law enforcement and communities; and create and strengthen alliances between law enforcement and other government partners and community groups to combat unlawful acts of hate.

Through using hypothetical scenarios depicting real-life hate crime cases and stories, United Against Hate promotes robust interaction between community members and law enforcement participants. Program topics include: defining hate crimes; the importance of reporting unlawful acts of hate; providing options for responding to hate incidents when situations do not constitute a federal or state crime; distinguishing unlawful conduct from protected First Amendment activity, including protected speech.