Public Information Officer

Direct: (520) 791-5647

e-mail: eburden1@ci.tucson.az.us

(Tucson)— The Sam Lena-South Tucson Branch Library and the South Tucson Police Department are working together to fight hate crime. On October 9, the two organizations will host a hate/bias crimes awareness class, and open an "Eliminate the Hate" display.

The class will be conducted at the City of South Tucson Courtroom, 1601 S. 6th Avenue, from 9-11 a.m. Detective Floyd Wilkes of the Pima County Sheriff's Department and South Tucson Reserve Police Officer Ted Forgach will talk about hate crimes and the laws against them, and show a 40-minute video, "The Shadow of Hate." There will also be time for questions and answers. Detective Wilkes and Officer Forgach are certified by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's STAR program as law enforcement instructors on hate/bias crimes. The class is free, open to the general public.

The display of handouts, books, and videos will include resources for educating oneself about hate crimes, and steps to take against such crimes. Materials from the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Tolerance, and the Southern Poverty Law Center will be included. The public will also be encouraged to use computers at the branch surf the Internet to learn more about hate crimes and what the public can do about them. The display will be open to the public during normal library hours during the month of October.

Sam Lena Library -- South Tucson Branch of the Tucson - Pima Public Library

For more information about the class or the display, please call Ramona Grijalva (branch manager) at the Sam Lena-South Tucson Branch Library at 791-4791.

Photo by Res. Officer Ted Forgach