Hello Everyone,
Evelyn here,
Tonight’ entry speaks about Florida’s Office of The Attorney General celebrating its 15th years in battle against discrimination.
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August 3, 2007
Message from Attorney General Bill McCollum
This year, my Office of Civil Rights celebrates its 15th anniversary -
15 years of fighting to protect our citizens from being unfairly singled out or becoming victims of discrimination. I believe one of Florida’s greatest strengths is the rich diversity of our population and our culture, and it my strongest belief that no one should ever be subjected to a violation of their civil rights, which are the most important rights we enjoy.
The Office of Civil Rights is empowered to enforce civil rights laws on
behalf of the State of Florida. Our attorneys carry out this charge
through litigation and legislative proposals. We address a wide range of issues including disability rights, mortgage lending and other types of economic discrimination. We have also investigated and pursued action against instances of discrimination in public accommodations, racial profiling and elder exploitation.
Additionally, the Office has conducted hate crime training for law
enforcement officers throughout the state for nearly a decade. Additional training programs are available for presentation at the elementary, middle and high school levels and are designed to teach students how to identify hate crimes, to understand the laws that protect victims of hate crimes, and to recognize how these terrible crimes can affect their communities. I believe these educational efforts are an essential step towards sending a clear message of absolute intolerance for hate crimes of any nature.
The Office of Civil Rights also works closely with the Florida Commission on Human Relations and other housing advocacy groups to enforce the provisions of the Florida Fair Housing Act. This week, we sent out a series of subpoenas to a company owning multiple apartment complexes in South Florida to investigate allegations of discrimination based on familial status. It is unthinkable that a family would be turned away from housing because of a discriminatory guideline or a standard that unfairly targets a particular group of people. My office is committed to examining these allegations as well as any others that may surface during this investigation and achieving a fair resolution for the victims involved.
Equality and justice for our citizens is not merely something we should
strive for - it is something we will continue to fight for to the fullest extent of our capabilities. Whether we are working to ensure that a disabled Floridian has access and accommodations as required by law or protecting our senior citizens from being exploited or taken advantage of, my Office of Civil Rights will carry on with this indispensable task on behalf of Floridians throughout the state.
Thank you.
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Evelyn out.
