STATE FIGHTS BACK AGAINST VILE ACTS; LOCKYER ANNOUNCES CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION.Byline: Phillip W. Browne Staff Writer Six days after a bloody shooting rampage through the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , state Attorney General Bill Lockyer William Westwood "Bill" Lockyer (born May 8, 1941) is the current State Treasurer of California. Prior to this, he served as California's Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice for the U.S. state of California. announced the formation of a Civil Rights Commission on Hate Crimes on Monday. Flanked by law enforcement and civil rights leaders Below is a list of civil rights leaders:
He also unveiled a new Department of Justice protocol for ``rapid response'' to hate crimes. ``The horrifying events of the past year in California and across the country are a sad reminder that the venom of hate continues to pervade per·vade tr.v. per·vad·ed, per·vad·ing, per·vades To be present throughout; permeate. See Synonyms at charge. [Latin perv society,'' Lockyer said. ``We must turn our outrage over recent tragedies into action that increases respect for diversity.'' Deputy District Attorney Carla Arranaga, who leads the hate crimes suppression unit in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County, said the move will help foster new cohesion between law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). statewide. ``It will open up communication and response efforts among many state law enforcement agencies,'' she said at her office, following the news conference. The new state commission will consider such issues as monitoring extremist groups and the effectiveness of laws prosecuting those who commit such acts. ``The reporting of hate crimes in California is central to developing effective measures to combat these despicable acts,'' Lockyer said. These measures will help track hate crime trends and develop universal reporting policies, officials said. ``Hate crime reporting has been erratic throughout Los Angeles County, so you really can't get a true grasp on what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. ,'' said Ron Wakabayashi, spokesman for the county Human Relations Commission who was at the news conference. ``The attorney general has the power to mandate reporting.'' The commission will be led by civil rights leader Fred Korematsu, who was interned as a Japanese-American citizen during World War II, and has since traveled throughout the world teaching tolerance and respect for diversity, Lockyer said. Members of the commission have not yet been chosen, said Lockyer's spokesman Nathan Barankin. Lockyer's new ``rapid response'' hate-crime protocol calls for immediate deployment of Department of Justice resources - or swift cooperation with other agencies - when a hate crime causes serious injury, death or destruction of property. According to newly released hate-crime statistics, 1,750 hate crimes were reported in California in 1998 - about five per day. At least 64.8 percent of the crimes were motivated by race or ethnicity, and 68.8 percent were violent crimes, Lockyer said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) State Attorney General Bill Lockyer announces efforts to fight hate crimes, in Los Angeles on Monday. Rene Macura/Associated Press |
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