Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Decalogue Society of Lawyers hosts hate-crimes forum
Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times
2014-11-04

This article shared 7492 times since Tue Nov 4, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


An Oct. 29 forum at Ezra Habonim/Niles Township Jewish Congregation Synagogue in Skokie focused on certain aspects of hate crimes, including civil and criminal remedies.

Speakers included Judge Renee Goldfarb, Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, Betsy Shuman-Moore ( director of Fair Housing and Hate Crime Projects for the Chicago Committee of Lawyers for Civil Rights Under Law ) and Arnold Romeo ( Chicago Commission on Human Relations ).

Rabbi Jeffrey Weill, of the Ezra-Habonim/Niles Township Jewish Congregation Synagogue, provided words of welcome while Joel Chupack, president of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, noted that the lawyers present would receive professional development hours for attending the forum.

Michael Strom, past president and current board of directors member of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, introduced each speaker.

Cassidy noted that, for the longest time, the only statute in Illinois protecting people based on sexual orientation was the hate-crimes law. However, since then, Illinois has added many other protections for LGBT people, including the recent Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Marriage Fairness Act.

"That doesn't mean that hate crimes are over. We continue to see an increase in bias and hate crimes against people from all communities," said Cassidy. "Very often, there is a wide gulf between what a community experiences as a hate crime and what a prosecutor can charge and successfully prosecute as a hate crime. That has always been one of our greatest challenges."

Cassidy explained that the Illinois hate-crimes law is narrower regarding its sexual-orientation definition than it is in the Illinois Civil Rights Act, so there is a need to add gender identity to the law. Although it hasn't moved out of the state legislature, Cassidy noted that she did introduce a bill in 2011 that would add gender identity to the law. Cassidy said that another piece that needs to be added to Illinois law is an institutional vandalism statute protecting LGBT spaces.

Romeo noted that the Chicago Commission on Human Relations was originally formed to deal with racial tensions among the African-American, Latino and Asian communities. Since then, Romeo explained, the commission has expanded its reach to include many different groups, including the LGBT community.

As for charging someone with a hate crime, Romeo said that one of the issues is if it has to be attached to another crime like battery or assault or property damage so the victim can identify what happened. "That is one of the tricky things about hate crimes because people don't really know what a hate crime is," he said. "We believe most of the hate crimes in Chicago aren't reported."

Romeo explained that the commission provides victims with support because the legal process takes time. This help includes providing a space for the victims to share what happened to them and making sure they get to court because visibility matters in these cases.

Goldfarb noted that it isn't just the LGBT community that has hate-crime victims, adding that the Jewish community is also subject to the same violations to this day. "Now what exactly are hate crimes?," he asked. "They are crimes committed against two victims—the individual that was targeted and the community to which they belong—and that's what makes them unique. Hate crimes damage the entire fabric of society."

"The most frequent instances of hate crimes are due to race, then religion, then sexual orientation, and the vast majority of religious hate crimes target the Jewish community," Goldfarb added. "What is the profile of a hate-crime offender? The typical hate-crime offender is male, between the ages of 14 and 24, and has no criminal record. The thing that all hate crime offenders have in common no matter who they target is they are looking for someone to attack."

Shuman-Moore's presentation focused on the Chicago Lawyers Committee's ( CLC ) Hate Crime Project."The CLC—which was founded in 1969 and has 45 Chicago law firm members—seeks to eliminate discrimination and poverty," said Shuman-Moore. "CLC lawyers provide pro bono representation for civil rights cases and projects seeking to have an impact."

The issue areas that Shuman-Moore noted that the CLC works on are employment discrimination, housing discrimination, voting rights, education equity, the Settlement Assistance Project, the Law Project and hate crimes. "The purpose of the project is to fight violent crime based on all of the classes outlined in the Illinois hate-crimes law," said Shuman-Moore.

Shuman-Moore explained that it is widely accepted that many more hate crimes occur than are reported due to the denial and lack of knowledge by law enforcement authorities and lack of knowledge by the victims that they were a victim of a hate crime and it's not just an urban problem. She also noted that hate crime victims can file civil suits against their attacker( s ) and the CLC will help those who do so.

A Q&A session took place after each speaker's remarks.

The Decalogue Society of Lawyers and Ezra Habonim/Niles Township Jewish Congregation co-sponsored the event.

See www.decaloguesociety.org, www.ehnt.org, www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cchr.html and www.clccrul.org for more information.


This article shared 7492 times since Tue Nov 4, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

Bring Chicago Home Campaign releases open endorsement letter from 100+ faith leaders
2024-02-19
--From a press release - CHICAGO — With just over a month before the March 19th primary election, prominent Chicago faith leaders will today release a letter—signed by over 100 religious leaders—endorsing the Bring Chicago Home campaign to restructure the Real ...


Gay News

Smollett asks state supreme court to overturn conviction
2024-02-07
Embattled actor Jussie Smollett has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to review and overturn an appellate ruling upholding his conviction for a hate-crime hoax that took place more than five years ago, The Chicago Sun-Times noted. ...


Gay News

WORLD Marriage in Greece, UK politics, cruise death, HRC grants
2024-02-02
The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece unanimously agreed at a recent meeting that it is "strongly opposed" to the Greek government's promised bill on same-sex marriage and adoption, Balkan Insight reported. The conservative New ...


Gay News

Ohio man sentenced for firebombing pro-LGBTQ+ church
2024-01-30
On Jan. 29, 2024, Ohio resident Aimenn D. Penny was sentenced to 216 months (18 years) in prison followed by three years of supervised release for attempting to burn down a pro-LGBTQ+ church, according to a ...


Gay News

Club Q shooter faces more than 50 federal hate-crime charges
2024-01-17
On Jan. 16, the shooter who killed five people—Daniel Davis Aston, Kelly Loving, Derrick Rump, Raymond Green Vance and Ashley Paugh—and injured 40 others at the Colorado Springs LGBTQIA+ nightclub Club Q pled not guilty to ...


Gay News

VIEWS Is the Pope Catholic? Francis faces opposition in steps toward LGBTQ+ inclusivity
2024-01-02
The recent change in Vatican policy allowing priests to bless same-gender couples has provoked an unprecedented backlash against Pope Francis and his openness to LGBTQ+ people—a backlash that some fear might devolve into a schism in ...


Gay News

WORLD Brianna Ghey, archbishops, HIV, George Michael, Albanian women
2023-12-29
A boy and a girl, each 16, were found guilty of murdering a transgender teenager in northwest England earlier this year in a knife attack, per a Yahoo! News item that cited the AP. Brianna Ghey, ...


Gay News

Catholic Church allows priests to bless same-sex couples but reaffirms disapproval of gay marriage
2023-12-22
LGBTQ+ couples can now receive blessings from priests, but the Catholic Church maintained its strict ban on gay marriage, according to a Vatican document approved by Pope Francis Dec. 18. This historic change in doctrine marks ...


Gay News

Greek government vows to back marriage equality
2023-12-22
Despite opposition from the Church of Greece and within the ruling New Democracy, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government said it will eventually move to legalize same-sex marriage, The National Herald reported. However, no timetable was ...


Gay News

Dignity/Chicago welcomes new rule on church blessings for same-sex marriages
2023-12-18
--From a press release - Dignity/Chicago, the advocacy organization for LGBTQI Catholics and friends, welcomed the news that the Vatican's doctrinal office has officially declared it possible for Catholic priests to bless same-sex unions and ...


Gay News

New Ways Ministry: Pope's blessings approval is Christmas gift to LGBTQ+ Catholics
2023-12-18
--From a press release - MOUNT RAINIER, Maryland—Statement by Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director, New Ways Ministry: Pope Francis gave LGBTQ+ Catholics an early Christmas gift this year by approving blessings for same-gender couples. The Vatican ...


Gay News

Pope Francis changes policy, allowing priests to bless same-sex unions; GLAAD responds
2023-12-18
--From a press release - GLAAD: "By removing barriers to priests blessing LGBTQ couples, the Pope accurately recognizes that LGBTQ people and our relationships are worthy of the same affirmation and support in the Church, and this strengthens couples in their ...


Gay News

Jussie Smollett loses appeal, might head back to jail
2023-12-01
Embattled out gay actor Jussie Smollett could soon be back behind bars after an Illinois appeals court backed the ex-Empire actor's disorderly conduct convictions stemming from a faked 2019 hate crime and lying to Chicago cops, ...


Gay News

Pope Francis's community of transwomen
2023-11-28
It's a rare opportunity to meet the pope. It's even rarer if you're a transgender Catholic. However, on Nov. 19, in Torvaianica, Italy, a community of transwomen, many of them sex workers, were welcomed and seated ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.