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 Problems with voting? Call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.
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     * Fighting Fines & Fees
     * Hate and White Supremacy on the Rise Online
     * Enhancing the Response to Hate Crimes
     * Chilling Voter Registration In Tennessee
     * Deferred Enforced Departure
     * Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) vs. Harvard
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Select Page
 * About
   * Board of Directors
   * Staff
   * Join Our Team
     * Staff Opportunities
     * Fellowships and Internships
   * 60th Anniversary
   * History
   * Local Committees
   * Financial Information
   * Lawyers’ Committee Awards
 * Newsroom
   * Newsroom
   * Virtual Event Library
   * Additional News
     * Fighting Fines & Fees
     * Hate and White Supremacy on the Rise Online
     * Enhancing the Response to Hate Crimes
     * Chilling Voter Registration In Tennessee
     * Deferred Enforced Departure
     * Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) vs. Harvard
     * Dumpson Hate Crime
     * 2019 Racial Justice Institute
 * Issues & Campaigns
   * Census and Redistricting
   * Criminal Justice
   * Digital Justice
   * Economic Justice
   * Educational Opportunities
   * Election Protection
   * Fair Housing and Community Development
   * Legal Mobilization
   * Pro Bono
   * Public Policy
   * Special Initiatives
   * Special Litigation and Advocacy
   * The James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate
   * Supreme Court Watch
   * Voting Rights
 * Get Involved
   * Connect With Us
   * Volunteer with Election Protection
 * Support
   * More Ways To Give
   * 60th Anniversary
   * Higginbotham Gala
 * Donate




THE JAMES BYRD JR. CENTER TO STOP HATE





ISSUES & CAMPAIGNS

 * Criminal Justice
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 * Educational Opportunities
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 * Legal Mobilization
 * Pro Bono
 * Public Policy
 * Special Initiatives
 * Special Litigation and Advocacy Project
 * The James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate
 * Supreme Court Watch
 * Voting Rights
 * Election Protection

MORE WAYS TO GIVE

CENSUS HOTLINE

+1 (888) 268-6820
Call the Census Hotline

Hate incidents across the United States are surging, devastating individuals and
entire communities. Hundreds of organizations in communities across the country
work to combat hate every day. To help combat this increase and support those
organizations, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law launched
the James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate.

The James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate supports communities and individuals
targeted for hate and challenges white supremacy by using creative legal
advocacy, disrupting systems that enable hate, and educating the general public
and policy makers.

If you are an individual or institution that was victimized by a hate incident,
or if you are an advocate looking for resources or want to learn more about how
to combat hate in your community, please e-mail us at
byrdcenter@lawyerscommittee.org.

LITIGATION

Case: Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church v. Proud Boys
International, LLC  



On Jan. 4, 2021, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a
lawsuit against the Proud Boys, a violent all-male group with ties to white
nationalism, and their leader, Enrique Tarrio, for vandalizing the Metropolitan
African Methodist Episcopal Church.   

The Proud Boys attacked and vandalized property of the Metropolitan African
Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic Black church, because of its congregants’
support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The Church was terrorized through
coordinated acts of violence when Proud Boys members climbed over a fence
surrounding the Church, came on to the Church’s property and destroyed a large
Black Lives Matter sign the Church was proudly displaying—attempting to silence
the Church’s support for the racial justice movement with violent acts of
trespass, theft, and destruction of property. 

Throughout the summer and fall of 2020, members of the Proud Boys promoted and
participated in violent events. The Proud Boys are not above the law, and will
be held accountable for their racialized terror. 

Read the lawsuit here. 

Read the press release here. 

Read the motion for default judgment here.

Read the expert report in support of plaintiff’s motion for default judgment
here.

Case: Howton v. Fecsko  

On Jan. 15, 2021, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a
lawsuit against two white police officers who pulled a Black West Virginia man
from his home and beat him for half a minute, causing serious and permanent
injuries in the early morning of New Year’s Day 2019. Defendants include the
officers at the scene of the attack, Zachary Fecsko and Aaron Dalton, and their
supervisor, the former chief of police, Richard Panico. Both officers Fecsko and
Dalton have a history of violence on the job. 

The plaintiff, Mr. Andre Howton, a 55-year-old Black man, was assaulted after
law enforcement removed a woman, who was white, from Mr. Howton’s home. After
they removed the woman, Fecscko, a white man in his twenties, inexplicably
yanked Mr. Howton from his doorway, telling him “get your ass out here, boy!”
With Officer Dalton shouting encouragement, Officer Fecsko then proceeded to
pummel Mr. Howton, while Howton lay pinned on the sidewalk, steps from his front
door. The use of the word “boy” has a history of being used to refer to Black
men in a demeaning and insulting manner. Courts have previously found that the
use of the word “boy” – as used by Officer Fecscko – can have serious racial
implications, similar to the n-word, and may be evidence of racial hostility. 

Read the complaint here. 

Read the press release here.  

  

Case: Shepard v. Kita  

On Jan. 26, 2021, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a
lawsuit in Pender County, North Carolina concerning a white mob, including a
former off-duty New Hanover County Sheriff’s Deputy and a dozen other
individuals – some carrying arms– who menaced a Black family in their North
Carolina home last year. They are being sued for trespass; assault; intentional
infliction of emotional distress; negligent infliction of emotional distress;
invasion of privacy; and violations of North Carolina’s civil rights and fair
housing statutes. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Monica and Dameon Shepard,
a mother and son who were threatened when the mob tried to enter their home
after falsely accusing them of hiding a young woman.  

This case is a present-day example of the long and ugly history of white mobs
acting with impunity and reckless disregard in the extrajudicial pursuit of
Black Americans.    

Read the lawsuit here. 

Read the press release here. 

 

Case: Dumpson v. Ade 

The James Byrd Jr. Center of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law—along with co-counsel from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil
Rights and Urban Affairs and Kirkland and Ellis, LLP—filed a lawsuit against neo
Nazi Andrew Anglin, who owned the white supremacist website ‘The Daily Stormer,’
and several individuals for committing online racialized terror against Taylor
Dumpson. 

In 2017, Dumpson was elected as American University’s first female African
American student body president. Following the election, she was the target of
hate crimes on the basis of her race and gender. On her first day in office,
nooses were found hanging around the campus with bananas tied to them. Some
bananas had “AKA” written on them – referencing the historically Black sorority
she is a member of. Others read “Harambe bait,” referencing a gorilla killed at
the Cincinnati Zoo as a racist and threatening comparison to African Americans.
Dumpson was also harassed through Facebook and Twitter. Andrew Anglin, a known
neo-Nazi, posted her personal information to his white supremacist website, the
Daily Stormer, and directed his followers to harass her via social media. A
number of people did target her with hate, including the other defendants in
this case. As a result of these events, Dumpson suffered significant injuries
and feared for her safety. 

The legal team secured a groundbreaking settlement with one of the former white
supremacists, in which they issued a personal apology to Ms. Dumpson. The
District Court of DC issued a default judgment against the remaining defendants,
including $700,000 in judgment. The decision also marked the first time a court
has ruled that racist online trolling activity can interfere with one’s equal
access to a public accommodation 

Read the lawsuit here. 

Read the press release here. 

POLICY & ADVOCACY

Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act: 

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate
Crimes Prevention Act. The milestone hate crime law increased the jurisdiction
of the FBI and Department of Justice to investigate bias-motivated violence
targeting vulnerable individuals, and expanded federal hate-crime law to include
crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sex ual orientation,
gender identity, or disability. It was named in honor of two individuals killed
in hateful violence in 1998: James Byrd Jr., a Black man in Jasper, Texas, and
Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Wyoming.  

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Report: Hate In Elections: How Racism and Bigotry Threaten Election Integrity in
the United States 

On Sept. 16, the James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate released Hate in Elections:
How Racism and Bigotry Threaten Election Integrity in the United States, a
comprehensive overview of how hate crimes and hate incidents can impact the
election process. By examining disturbances in the recent elections, the report
highlights how hate and bigotry are utilized by those seeking to intimidate,
dissuade or harass candidates of color and voters from historically marginalized
groups. The report also provides an overview of relevant legal frameworks and
resources for individuals and candidates who have experienced election-related
bigotry. 

Key takeaways from Hate in Elections:  

 * When hate crimes or hate incidents occur during elections, they can send a
   message that it is dangerous to vote and deter members of historically
   marginalized groups from participating in the democratic process.  
 * There is evidence of poll workers all over the country requesting additional
   identification or creating more stringent check-in procedures for voters of
   color, as well as harassing voters who are not proficient in English and
   making it difficult for them to get the language assistance they require. 
 * There has been an increase of hateful activities organized by white
   supremacist groups, from rallies to promote conservative issues and
   candidates, to widespread misinformation regarding polling locations and
   candidates—and even racist, phony robocalls. 
 * Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are the primary
   vehicles for disseminating online election-related hate. There is a
   well-documented history of users threatening voters, doxing election
   officials and representatives and sharing fake government posts.  
 * Candidates for office and political parties have used implicit or explicit
   appeals to racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia in online campaign
   advertisements, especially on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or other social
   media platforms where they could reach a broad audience and have the
   opportunity to go viral with minimal expenditures. 

COMMUNITY RESOURCES, TRAINING, AND SUPPORT

Report Hate: Report Hate: If you are an individual or institution that has been
targeted for hate, or an advocate looking for resources or want to learn more
about how to combat hate in your community, e-mail us at
byrdcenter@lawyerscommittee.org. . 

  

Creating Safer Communities, Hate Crimes Trainings for Law Enforcement, College
Campuses and Community Members:  

The James Byrd Jr. Center for Stop Hate, in partnership with the Matthew Shepard
Foundation, trains law enforcement departments across the country on how to
better respond to hate crimes. The Creating Safer Hate Crimes Training is
designed to train law enforcement officers and prosecutors to identify,
investigate, prosecute, and report hate crimes.  The trainings help strengthen
trust with communities frequently targeted for hate violence and help
prosecutors and police work together to accurately report and respond to hateful
activity.   

Recent trainings were held in Arizona, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and South
Carolina. Since January 2018, over 1,200 officers and prosecutors have
participated in the training.   

The Byrd Center team also offers trainings to help community members and college
students, faculty and administrators learn about what a hate crime is, the
relevant laws and what to do in the wake of hate.    

If you are interested in scheduling a training please
contact byrdcenter@lawyerscommittee.org.   

You can find more information about the Creating Safer Hate Crimes
Training here.  

   

State Hate Crime Laws and Legal Overviews  

Almost every state across the country has a hate crime law, but the protected
categories and other details often vary from state to state. For information on
your state’s hate crime law, and other resources, please contact
byrdcenter@lawyerscommittee.org.

Community Trainings and Resources: If you are a member of a community or school
group interested in learning more about what you can do to stand up against
hate, and would like to schedule a training or need another resource, please
contact byrdcenter@lawyerscommittee.org. 


#ENDWHITENATIONALISM



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