Fw: now-action-list Stop Hate Crimes NOW!

[Guest guest]

Martha Murdock, Director

National Silicone Implant Foundation

Dallas, Texas Headquarters

-----Original Message-----

From: National Organization for Women <now@...>

now-action-list@... <now-action-list@...>

Date: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 2:33 AM

Subject: now-action-list Stop Hate Crimes NOW!

>Please feel free to forward the following to activists:

>

>From the National Organization for Women Action Center:

>

>* Across the United States, women are targets of hate crimes every day.

>Hate crimes have a chilling effect on every woman's life. The threat of

>such crimes instills fear in all women (not just victims and survivors),

>limiting where we work, live and study.

>

>* Violence motivated by a person's sex, sexual orientation, disability,

>race or religion is a matter of national concern; yet many states lack

>comprehensive hate crimes laws. And federal law does not cover crimes

>motivated by bias based upon sex, sexual orientation and disability.

>

>* Women charging state and local authorities with failure or refusal to

>enforce the law, especially restraining orders, reportedly make up the

>largest number of complaints received by the Office of Violence Against

>Women at the Justice Department. Additionally, the office has received

>complaints alleging that some local law enforcement personnel have covered

>up hate crimes against women.

>

>* Many times local law enforcement lack adequate resources to investigate

>and successfully prosecute criminals.

>

>* Expanding the federal hate crimes statute would improve access to federal

>resources to assist local and state law enforcement officials in better

>investigating and prosecuting biasrelated crimes.

>

>* Expanding the federal law would also extend coverage to crimes motivated

>by sex, sexual orientation and disability.

>

>Join the National Organization for Women to and Take Action to End Hate

>Crimes!

>

>Click here to tell your representatives in the House and Senate to expand

>hate crimes protections.

>http://www.capweb.net/now/LegAlert.morph?LegAlert_id=335

>

>Or, send Valentine's Day cards to your representative and senators via

>snail mail. Click here for their addresses. http://www.now.org/congress'>http://www.now.org/congress

>

>For more information, call 202-628-8669, ext. 0, visit www.now.org.

>

>

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>

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