Anne Arundel Hate Crimes And Bias Forum Planned For Feb. 26​

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The community is invited to attend an Anne Arundel Hate Crimes and Bias Forum Feb. 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Anne Arundel Community College, Kaufmann Theater, Pascal Center for the Performing Arts.

The first part of the forum will be dedicated to describing the difference between a hate crime and a hate bias incident including the differing penalties under state and federal law. The speakers will include representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice and local experts from the county police, states attorney's office, legislature and county board of education.

The second part will be a panel exploring critical community issues around hate crimes. This panel will include representatives from the state attorney general's office, African American clergy, Hispanic leaders, religious community leaders including Muslim and Jewish representatives, civil rights leaders and LGBTQ representatives.

The third element of the evening will have the audience divide into breakout groups of their choice with facilitators working with each group. The Anne Arundel County Human Relations Commission, one of the event's sponsors, will prepare a report for the county executives with recommended next steps for action.