U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom will speak during an all-day hate crimes symposium Nov. 4 in Kansas City, Kan. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
“The public – and law enforcement – need to be more aware of the problem of hate crimes generally, and against the LGBTQ community in particular,” Grissom said. “We need more and stronger partnerships with local communities to prevent hate crimes and to enhance prosecutions against offenders when they occur.”
Featured speakers will include Dennis and Judy Shepard, the parents of Matthew Shepard, founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Their son was beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998. The case helped to raise public awareness of hate crimes and led Congress to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act.
Other speakers will include Dave O’Malley, who investigated Shepard’s death, Kristi L. Donahue of the FBI, Kristy Parker of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Amanda Spee, FBI Special Agent, and Crystal Middlestadt an OVC Consultant /Resource Development Director, Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training.
The event is set for 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 4, at the Reardon Civic Center at the Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Minnesota, Kansas City, Kan. Registration is required. A registration form is available online at http://www.continuinged.ku.edu/register/n/event_details.php?pn=LE160244 or email [email protected] for a form.