In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department will host a Bias Incident and Hate Crimes Forum on Sept. 19. This free event will be hosted at Fayetteville Technical Community College in the Tony Rand Student Center, 2220 Hull Road, Fayetteville from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. There is a virtual option available for those who cannot attend in person.

The event comes as North Carolina deals with a recent rise in hate crimes.

The Bias Incidents and Hate Crimes Forum provides community members and law enforcement with information related to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, as well as state and local hate crimes laws. The program engages local and federal law enforcement, district attorneys, civil rights organizations, and community organizations in discussions and information sharing on methods to combat and respond to bias incidents and hate crimes.

This forum includes the following components:

• A panel of law enforcement experts to provide an overview of federal, state and local hate crimes laws.
• A panel of community resources to discuss resources in the aftermath of bias incidents or hate crimes.
• A panel of survivors to discuss their personal experiences of being targeted by hate and how these incidents affected the panelists’ sense of wellbeing, safety and inclusion. (Will not be available virtually).

“According to Justice Department data, reported hate crimes in North Carolina increased from 186 in 2020 to 330 in 2022—an increase of 77% in just two years.”

Sponsors and presenters for the forum include: The Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Department, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Federal Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina Department of Justice, North Carolina Human Relations Commission, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Fayetteville Police Department, Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina, and Fayetteville Technical Community College.

 Residents interested in attending in-person are encouraged to pre-register by Sept. 13. Registration for the event can be found online at https://bit.ly/3zGQH2s or FayettevilleNC.gov/HumanRelations.

Doors will open for the event at 8:30 a.m. for in-person registration and light refreshments.