When you write 'KKK' and let's shoot the n-word in the head' and use confederate flags, you can't hide behind a free expression law.

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The NAACP told a UNC commission why a hate speech policy is needed throughout the UNC Systems' 16 schools.

This comes in light of racist graffiti that was painted on North Carolina State University's Free Expression Tunnel after Barack Obama was elected President.

The NAACP started its presentation to the commission by displaying a picture of one of those racist statements painted on the Tunnel that reads, "let's shoot the N****r in the head.'"

"When you write 'KKK' and let's shoot the n-word in the head' and use confederate flags, you can't hide behind a free expression law," said The Rev. William Barber, NAACP President.

The commission is tasked with deciding if the UNC System needs a policy on hate speech. On Monday, Dr. Barber made his case why he believes it's necessary. He said the incident at NC State is not justifiable as free speech.

"That speech is not merely offensive, it's threatening and it's not protected (under the First Amendment)," said Dr. Barber.

Barber said the UNC System needs to define how it will investigate hate crimes and what the penalities are. Also, he said, "we need a clear curriculum that teaches us more about how we must interface and be one community."

But Barber said this issue extends beyond NC State. It's something he believes boils down to peoples' mindsets.

"We may not be able to change their mind, but we need laws and regulations that will prohibit actions," he said.

Barber was allowed to address the commission alone today because he was unable to attend the public hearing earlier this month.

The commission's next meeting is February 9th at 1 p.m. at the Spangler Center. Commissioners will have to decide by the end of March whether to implement a hate speech policy. They are also taking a look at whether students should be required to take diversity traning courses.

Middle Class Americans : Homeless Without a House Neither a place to Vote.

Bush Asks Americans to Support Bailout but the real question is. Why President Bush and Congress do not support More than a Million people who lost their dreams, their hard work values: Their House?. Where are those fundamental Values? The American Values? We the People?

In a speech to the nation, President Bush calls on Americans
to support the economic recovery plan. Mr. Bush has invited
presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, as well
as top lawmakers, to the White House for economic crisis.

But More than a million people have lost their homes through foreclosure in the last two years, and many of them are still registered to vote at the address of the home they lost. Now election officials and voting rights groups are struggling to prevent thousands of them from losing their vote when they go to the polls in November.

Many of these voters will be disqualified at the polls because, in the tumult of their foreclosure, they neglected to tell their election board of their new address. Some could be forced to vote with a provisional ballot or challenged by partisan poll watchers, a particular concern among Democrats who fear that poor voters will be singled out. That could add confusion and stretch out lines that are already expected to be long because of unprecedented turnout.

Federal election officials say they are concerned that voters are not being properly informed of how to update their addresses.

“Our biggest concern is that many of these voters will stay home or that poll workers will give misinformation,” said Rosemary E. Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, which oversees voting.

Todd Haupt, a home builder, lost his home in Josephville, Mo., to foreclosure last year, and said he had since become much more interested in politics. But asked whether he had remembered to update his voter registration information when he moved into his parents’ home in St. Charles, Mo., Mr. Haupt, 33, paused silently. “Is that required?” he said. “I had no idea.”

“I’ve moved three times in the past two years,” he added. “Keeping my voter registration information was not top on my mind because I figured it was all set already.”

Ms. Rodriguez said the commission issued a notice this month encouraging voters to update their registration information before the Oct. 6 cutoff date imposed by many states for new voter registrations. She added that the commission considered issuing a notice this month informing local officials how to handle these voters, but in the end decided not to give poll chal-lengers any ideas on new tactics for singling out voters.

Many of the nation’s highest foreclosure rates are also in crucial swing states like Colorado, Florida, Michigan and Ohio. Because many homeowners in foreclosure are black, Hispanic or poor, and are considered probable Democratic voters in many areas, the issue has begun to have political ramifications. Political parties have long challenged voters with expired registrations, but the possible use of foreclosure lists to remove people from the rolls — though entirely legal — has become a new partisan flashpoint.

Last week, Senator Barack Obama’s campaign filed a lawsuit in federal court, seeking to prohibit the Michigan Republican Party from using foreclosure lists to single out and challenge voters. The state Republican Party has denied having any such plans.

Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, sent a letter last week along with a dozen other Democratic senators to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey asking him to ensure that voters facing foreclosure are not harassed or intimidated at polling places.

In Ohio, liberal-leaning groups are planning to help people in foreclosure and families who are homeless to vote by using a five- to seven-day window starting Sept. 30 when state residents are permitted to register and cast an early ballot simultaneously. The Republican Party has filed a lawsuit in state court to block registering and voting on the same day, arguing that state law forbids it.

Asked whether his party planned to use foreclosure information to compile challenge lists, Robert Bennett, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, said the party did not discuss its election strategies in public.

Similar questions were raised two years ago over how to deal with more than a million people who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Some of these voters were never found, while others were able to vote with absentee ballots or at satellite locations outside New Orleans.

“Foreclosure victims are distinctly vulnerable because they are not officially recognized as a group needing voting help,” said Robert M. Brandon, president of the Fair Elections Legal Network, a liberal-leaning voting rights group.

Last month, his organization sent letters to the secretaries of state in Arizona, Florida, Missouri and Ohio, asking them to better educate foreclosure victims on their rights. The letters argued that the laws in these states do not bar such voters from voting in their former jurisdictions if their intent is to move back as soon as circumstances allow

On Wednesday, Jennifer L. Brunner, the Ohio secretary of state who is a Democrat, sent out an advisory to all local officials instructing them what to do if anyone who has lost a home to foreclosure shows up at the polls. If the address listed for such voters is no longer valid, and they moved outside the precinct, Ms. Brunner said, poll workers are instructed to send the voter to the polling place that corresponds to the voter’s new address. The voter will then be given a provisional ballot — special ballots that can be counted only after the voter’s eligibility is verified — at the proper polling place, the directive said.

The state requires that election officials send a notice to all registered voters verifying their address 60 days before an election to check the accuracy of the voter rolls. This month, Ms. Brunner ruled that an undeliverable notice will not be grounds enough on its own for a voter to be removed from the registration lists.

So far, election officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio have sent out notices to residents in select counties who have filed for a change of address but who have not updated their voter registration.

But the number of people who have moved, through foreclosure or for any other reason, far exceeds the number of people who have notified their election boards. In Ohio, 375,000 people filed change-of-address forms with the Postal Service, but when state officials sent them cards asking for updated registration information, only 24,000 responded. In Missouri, where 250,000 people notified the Postal Service of their move, only 22,000 told the election board.

Robin Carnahan, the Missouri secretary of state, and a Democrat, said that she is trying to get local election officials to increase the number of poll workers to deal with any confusion or challenges of voters.

In 2004, a Republican Party official challenged a large number of voters at a largely black precinct in Boone County, Mo., causing a backup. Such challenges can cause long lines at polling places if there are not enough poll workers to pull challenged voters out of line, or if the workers have to consult with higher-level election officials for each challenge.

State political parties have traditionally used the mail to determine which voters to challenge. By sending out mailings to voters likely to be of the opposite party, and then seeing which mailings are returned as undeliverable, they know whom to challenge at the polls for not living at their registered address. Using public lists of foreclosed homes, however, can save money by allowing a party to avoid sending out mailings.

William Nowling, a spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party, said that Democratic complaints about foreclosure victims being singled out were baseless.
“We are not using foreclosure lists in any way,” Mr. Nowling said, accusing Democratic groups of engaging in fear-mongering by spreading rumors of such plans. “Our voter integrity efforts are solely designed to fight voter fraud perpetrated by the Democrats, of which there is ample proof and examples, including previous elections where the F.B.I. had to seize and secure ballots in Detroit because ballot boxes were being stuffed.”

Jews second most targeted for hate crimes in Canada.


TORONTO — A survey of police-reported hate crimes released recently by Statistics Canada showed that in 2006, Jews were Canada’s most targeted group by religion and second only to blacks as the most victimized group overall.

Jews continue to be subjected to anti-Semitic vandalism

Of 220 hate crimes motivated by the victim’s religion, 137 were aimed at Jews, or almost 63%. Muslims were the next most affected religious group, with 46 incidents (21%) reported, followed by Catholics, who experienced 13 incidents (6%).

Overall, blacks were the most targeted group, whether considered on racial, ethnic, gender or religious bases. Some 238 hate events were reported involving blacks out of a total of 892 incidents. Blacks were victims in 27% of all occurrences, Jews in 15%.

The data were obtained from the Hate Crime Supplemental Survey, a study of hate crimes reported by police departments across Canada that cover 87 percent of Canada’s population. Statistics Canada reported that the number of hate crimes “accounted for less than one per cent of all criminal incidents reported to police.”

The study showed that half of all hate-motivated crime concerned property offences, while one-third involved violence. The highest rates of police-reported hate crime were in Calgary (9.1 per 100,000 residents), Kingston (8.5), Ottawa (6.6), London (5.9) and Toronto (5.5). “Hate crimes were most likely to involve young people, both as victims and accused persons,” the report stated.

“Most violent hate crimes are committed by strangers rather than persons known to victims. In 2006, 77 percent of victims of police-reported hate crime did not know their perpetrators, compared to 33 percent of victims of other violent crimes.”

The national hate-motivated crimes statistics parallel findings by the hate crimes unit of the Toronto Police Service. In its 2006 report, the unit found that Jews were the second most victimized group, behind blacks.

Twenty-eight of 162 incidents were aimed at Jews (17%), while 15 incidents (9%) targeted Muslims. Blacks were singled out in 30 per cent of occurrences.

Const. Wendy Drummond, a spokesperson for the Toronto Police, said the most recent data for 2007 again showed that Jews were the second most targeted group, behind blacks. Altogether, Jews were affected in 29 percent of incidents, while blacks were targeted in 33 per cent of events. Gays were next at 13 percent, followed by Muslims and Pakistanis at 9 percent each.

Police also recorded a “multi-bias” category – where the motivation involved more than one type of animus, such as a black and gay – in which Jews were the second-most-targeted group, she said.

Wendy Lampert, national director of community relations for Canadian Jewish Congress, said the findings are consistent with long-standing patterns.

“Historically, we have been targeted,” she said. “We really have to remain vigilant as a community and take appropriate measures to secure our facilities going forward.”

The footprint of the KU KLUX KLAN.

Ku Klux Klan hate crimes darken Palo Alto's history. By Kevin Harvey


Most students at Palo Alto High School do not expect a history of severe racism in their greater community. Most students discuss the United States' shadowy history tainted by racial prejudice and how people continue to work to overcome it. However, these students are not aware of the fact that during the 1920s and mid-1940s, many residents of Palo Alto and Stanford University were members of the racist hate group known as the Ku Klux Klan.

The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 by veterans of the Confederate army after the Civil War in an attempt to resist the northern states' plans of reconstructing the South.

The Klan used violence and terrorism, such as lynching or cross burning, to display their white-supremacist views and to intimidate social or ethnic groups that they believed were of lower status. However, the first iteration of the Ku Klux Klan began to disintegrate after President Ulysses S. Grant passed the Civil Rights Act of 1871.

Both Palo Alto and Stanford University established their own distinct chapters of the Ku Klux Klan during the 1920s and mid-1940s. Their members acted on their hatred of African-Americans, Catholics, Jews, homosexuals and immigrants throughout the community.

A second wave of Klan followers emerged in 1915 when D.W. Griffith's film, Birth of a Nation, was released. The film was based on Reverend Thomas Dixon's book, The Clansmen, which romanticized the original formation and actions of the Klan.

The propagandist's film displayed images of white men rescuing terrified Southern white women from haunting-looking black men and protecting the South from negative black influence.

Klan membership dramatically increased in the late 1910s to six million members across the country, which was about one quarter of the American male population during the time period. Many women were involved in the Klan as well.

In 1923, Palo Alto first encountered the Klan when Robert Burnett, a Texan and engineering graduate of Stanford University, advised the Palo Alto Times of his determination to create a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Palo Alto.

By the next year, two local chapters emerged. One was a Palo Alto chapter, made up of some of the area's businessmen and political figures and the other was at Stanford University, comprised of at least seven members of its staff. Later that same year, a women's auxiliary of the Palo Alto chapter was instated and consisted of over 50 members.

Unabashed, the two chapters of the Klan held many of their meetings publicly and throughout Palo Alto, both out in the streets or in public facilities.

According to the Palo Alto Times archive, initiations of new members were carried out and witnessed by as few as a hundred local resident or as many as a few thousand. They were organized by assigned recruiters, or Kleagles. Venues, such as the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds and numerous other halls in the area, were used for initiations and demonstrations. The Klan gatherings were extremely formal and each event would be conducted by an assigned leader. All members would be suited in a white hooded robe and a cross was burned as members chanted and made speeches.

At this time, Palo Alto Police Chief Chester F. Noble used his authority to repress the growing Klan movement within Palo Alto by aiding potential minority victims and empowering building owners to not rent their sites to the Klan. He made a valiant effort to eliminate Klan corruption within the police force by firing officers whom he discovered to be Klan members and by preventing police compliance with Klan activities, according to the Palo Alto Times.

Noble was later brought to trial and falsely accused by enraged Klan members of financial corruption and dismissal of charges against numerous criminals. Noble was testified against by multiple Klan members, including Burnett.

Outward violence by the Klan was relatively dormant during the 1920s. The Klan was able to intimidate the social and ethnic groups that it despised because of its large size.

The Klan drastically adapted since the 1920s and was much more secretive and covert. They no longer held large marches or gatherings, and all actions that were labeled as the Klan's were generally more terrorist-like intimidation rather than intimidation by the masses.

During the mid-1940s, Palo Alto residents suspected that there had been a second uprising of the Ku Klux Klan. However, the suspicion was never corroborated.

On May 31, 1946, a three-foot-high Ku Klux Klan insignia was painted in bright red on the intersection of Homer Avenue and Ramona Street, which was formerly a dominantly black populated area of town.

The menacing insignia disturbed local residents and Palo Alto Chief of Police Howard A. Zink immediately took action to repress any further uprising, vandalism or violence. Earlier that year, the home of an African-American WWII veteran named John T. Walker was burned to the ground in Redwood City, after the 22-year-old veteran was repeatedly threatened.

Despite the collaboration with the Palo Alto Police Department and other local police departments, no one was ever convicted for the crime.

Most students react to this little-known fragment of Palo Alto's past with disbelief.

"I know that the Ku Klux Klan was very wide spread, but I did not make the association that they were so prolific as to spread here too," junior Nadav Shiffman said.

Despite the popularity of the Klan in certain areas, the Klan has mostly disappeared in the U.S.

"While the crimes of the sort have subsided, the tensions are still there," Shiffman said. "Perhaps it will always be there as long as we continue to view race as an issue

Why Media, TV, Anchor news has not talking about the missing cases of Black womans.
Why????????

Minorities say subtle racism remains, bias shows daily.

LEWISTON (AP) - Minorities in the area say several recent incidents of hate crimes show racial insensitivity still remains.They say American Indians, blacks and whites still put up walls because of ignorance or insensitivity.

Wendy Diessner of the Lewiston-Clarkston YWCA, which serves as a clearinghouse, says her agency fields about 10 complaints a year of racism that aren't felony malicious harassment.

37-year-old Jeanette Weaskus is the daughter of a white mother and a Nez Perce father. She studies race issues as a Washington State University doctoral student. She says many people believe they are good, but can be subtly racist.

Dean Davis, who is black, says racism is discrete. He says the recent case of a mother and daughter shouting "white power" during a fight with an American Indian teenage girl shows progress is slow to come.

Alan Marshall, a Nez Perce social scientist and professor at Lewis-Clark State College, says people of European ancestry may unintentionally say or do things that hurt American Indians. He says the frequency of racially charged incidents has declined as tribal influence has grown in the last three decades

That type of prank is unjustifiable, and it’s wrong and it’s just distasteful. It is sad. It is primarily a black neighborhood.



The racist scribbling scratched onto the face of the Pay Less grocery store on West Nichol Street is easy to miss. The disturbing symbols and letters symbolizing oppression and hatred are strangely hidden within a symbol for freedom and equality — the American flag.

The hate-laced graffiti was discovered on Thursday after a local resident alerted Madison County NAACP President James Burgess.
The grocery store was closed on July 21, 2007, and a painting in the front window celebrates Independence Day, the last holiday observed before the location was shut down.
The patriotic mural depicts two American flags centered around the word “celebrate.” Scratched into a curved, white stripe on the American flag are the words, “white power.” Just beneath the lettering is a Nazi swastika next to a “KKK” symbol. Below that, the letters “AVC” are written. It is unclear whether this is the signature of the vandal or an acronym for white supremacy.
The building’s owners said they weren’t sure where the symbols came from, but vowed to take them off the window immediately.
When Burgess arrived at the scene of the vandalism on Thursday morning, he was joined by two black residents of the west side Anderson community. The three men peered into the empty store and glared at the chilling symbols.
One of Burgess’ associates was moved by the display but fearful of allowing his name to be printed in the newspaper, suggesting that it would be unsafe to do so.
“This is part of my history,” the man said, keeping his eyes fixed on the ruined mural. “I grew up in Mississippi.”
The 61-year-old man said he had lived through segregation in the south and that the stigma of racism had stayed with him.
“It’s hard to trust the Caucasian race. I’m not saying everybody is bad ... but we were belittled. We were brought up to think we were inferior.”
The display of racism does not surprise him. “This is no surprise. I like to think I know people. There was a time in my life when I learned to accept this. I thought I was inferior until I went to a junior college in California.”
He expressed on Thursday that the vandalism was not only offensive due to its content, but also because of its location. “This is a black neighborhood. I pay taxes here.”
For Burgess, the vandalism represented more than a harmless prank. “Yes, it offends me. It’s a crime to me.”
As leader of the local NAACP, Burgess said he was focused on changing laws concerning race-motivated vandalism. “We would like to make legislation where this does become criminal.”
As for the vandals, Burgess has an idea of the reasoning behind the graffiti. “They would call this First Amendment — freedom of speech

Ollie Dixon, who serves the west side on the Anderson City Council, says the focus should be placed on finding the vandals

“That type of prank is unjustifiable, and it’s wrong and it’s just distasteful. It is sad, but I would like to find out who is responsible. It is primarily a black neighborhood and again, I think the owners ought to be confronted and find out who has access and whoever did that should be punished and brought to justice.”
Neyer Management is in charge of maintaining the property for its owner, Nicholl Avenue LLC. Jerold Surdahl of Neyer explained on Thursday that the company had not noticed the vandalism, even though area youths who discovered the markings said they’d been on the window for months. The management firm plans to immediately remove the graffiti. “I’ll do what I can to get it gone, probably today,” Surdahl said on Thursday.
Vandalism at the location is nothing new. The building is covered in explicit markings and large white spots where maintenance workers attempted to cover the graffiti. According to Surdahl, the swastika and racist lettering represent the first race-motivated vandalism to the property.
So far, the owners and managers of the building have no idea who could’ve vandalized the window. The building is still being leased by Kroger. According to Surdahl, this equates to a lot of keys and a lot of people with access to the building.
“I have been in touch with the management at Kroger, and neither of us know who would have had access there. There could have been a number of keys that escaped captivity. I will have it removed as soon as possible

Hate crimes rise in Nassau. Hate crimes are the product of Ignorance.

Reports of hate crimes in Nassau County rose 22 percent last year -- 150 cases were reported in 2007, up from 123 cases reported in 2006 -- largely because of two waves of anti-Semitic and anti-black crimes, according to a special report compiled by the Nassau County Police Department.

The hate crimes peaked in September and October, when a spate of swastika graffiti, hate mailings and synagogue vandalism during the Jewish high holy days was coupled with a number of nooses found locally that mirrored high-profile noose cases nationally, said police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey.

"I'm concerned about the fact that we've seen a dramatic reduction in overall crimes but we're seeing an increase in hate crimes," said County Executive Thomas Suozzi.

Categorized by intended target, the report was issued Jan. 14 for a bias crimes task force that Suozzi formed in October. Anti-Semitic crimes were by far the most prevalent, with 110 of the 150 cases. A spate of anti-Semitic mailings to 25 families in Roslyn "skewed" the statistics, Mulvey said. He added that a 2006 state law that criminalized swastika graffiti and cross-burning has contributed to the rise in reports as well.

Some of last year's hate crimes drew public attention that may have inspired copycats, Mulvey said. "Sometimes when there is media focus on a situation, it creates an outlet for people to show hate too."

He pointed out the media attention on the arrest of a Manhasset man who was affiliated with a white supremacist group and who was charged with painting swastikas on a synagogue, as well as the focus on the noose found at a Jena, La., high school that may have sparked nooses around Nassau County and at Columbia University.
But the president of the Freeport Roosevelt NAACP, Doug Mayers, said the copycat theory diminished the crime's gravity.
"There are no copycats when it comes to hanging nooses and swastikas all over the bloody place," he said.

While bias crime coordinator Det. Sgt. Gary Shapiro hailed what he called the county's "proactive" approach, he acknowledged that these crimes are often underreported.

"It is a source of concern why, year after year, we don't see ... decreases in these categories," he said. "These are crimes where sometimes people are very uncomfortable with reporting what happened.
"We do the best we can in identifying the crimes that are motivated by hate, but it's a very difficult endeavor," he added.

The task force, made up of representatives from village police departments and colleges, recommended that the police department create a powerful video presentation on bias for high schoolers, Mulvey said.
"Hate crimes are the product of ignorance," Suozzi said. "The best thing to combat ignorance is education."

Somewhere in America..................Every hours someone commits a hate crime.




Every day at least eight blacks, three whites, three gays, three Jews and two Latinos become hate crime victims. Every week a cross is burned.

Hate in America is a dreadful, daily constant. The dragging death of a black man in Jasper, Texas; the crucifixion of a gay man in Laramie, Wyo.; and post-9.11 hate crimes against hundreds of Arab Americans, Muslim Americans and Sikhs are not "isolated incidents." They are eruptions of a nation's intolerance.

Bias is a human condition, and American history is rife with prejudice against groups and individuals because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or other differences. The 20th century saw major progress in outlawing discrimination, and most Americans today support integrated schools and neighborhoods. But stereotypes and unequal treatment persist, an atmosphere often exploited by hate groups.
When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime. Race and religion inspire most hate crimes, but hate today wears many faces. Bias incidents (eruptions of hate where no crime is committed) also tear communities apart — and threaten to escalate into actual crimes.

According to FBI statistics, the greatest growth in hate crimes in recent years is against Asian Americans and the gay and lesbian community. Once considered a Southern phenomenon, today most hate crimes are reported in the North and West.
And these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. Law enforcement officials acknowledge that hate crimes — similar to rape and family violence crimes — go under-reported, with many victims reluctant to go to the police, and some police agencies not fully trained in recognizing or investigating hate crimes.

The good news is ...All over the country people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance and inclusion. More often than not, when hate flares up, good people rise up against it — often in greater numbers and with stronger voices.

This guide sets out 10 principles for fighting hate, along with a collection of inspiring stories of people who worked to push hate out of their communities.

Whether you need a crash course to deal with an upcoming white-power rally, a primer on the media or a long-range plan to promote tolerance in your community, you will find practical advice, timely examples and helpful resources in this guide. The steps outlined here have been tested in scores of communities across the nation by a wide range of human rights, faith and civic organizations.
Our experience shows that one person, acting from conscience and love, is able to neutralize bigotry. Imagine, then, what an entire community, working together, might do.





1). ACT: Do something. In the face of hatred, apathy will be interpreted as acceptance by the perpetrators, public and worse, the victims. Decent people must take action; if we don’t, hate persists.



2). UNITE: Call a friend or co-worker. Organize allies from churches, schools, clubs and other civic groups. Create a diverse coalition. Include children, police and the media. Gather ideas from everyone, and get everyone involved.



3). SUPPORT THE VICTIMS: Hate-crime victims are especially vulnerable, fearful and alone. If you’re a victim, report every incident - in detail -and ask for help. If you learn about a hate-crime victim in your community, show support. Let victims know you care. Surround them with comfort and protection.



4). DO YOUR HOMEWORK: An informed campaign improves its effectiveness. Determine if a hate group is involved, and research its symbols and agenda. Understand the difference between a hate crime and a bias incident.



5). CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE: Do not attend a hate rally. Find another outlet for anger and frustration and for peoples’ desire to do something. Hold a unity rally or parade to draw media attention away from hate.



6). SPEAK UP: Hate must be exposed and denounced. Help news organizations achieve balance and depth. Do not debate hate-group members in conflict-driven forums. Instead, speak up in ways that draw attention away from hate, toward unity.



7). LOBBY LEADERS: Elected officials and other community leaders can be important allies in the fight against hate. But some must overcome reluctance - and others, their own biases - before they’re able to take a stand.



8). LOOK LONG RANGE: Promote tolerance and address bias before another hate crime can occur. Expand your community’s comfort zones so you can learn and live together.



9). TEACH TOLERANCE: Bias is learned early, usually at home. Schools can offer lessons of tolerance and acceptance. Sponsor an "I Have a Dream" contest. Reach out to young people who may be susceptible to hate-group propaganda and prejudice.



10). DIG DEEPER: Look inside yourself for prejudices and stereotypes. Build your own cultural competency, then keep working to expose discrimination wherever it happens - in housing, employment, education and more.

Staten Island teen facing hate-crime rap for 'KKK' scrawl

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A white student was charged with a hate crime Tuesday for scrawling "KKK" on the back of a black classmate after the Staten Island boy fell asleep in school, authorities said.

Howard Gibson, a student at St. Peter's Boys High School on Staten Island, woke up in class Monday to find the initials for the Ku Klux Klan written in chalk on the back of his sweater and pants, police sources said.

Gibson's mother reported the incident to police Tuesday, and cops from Staten Island's 120th Precinct and the NYPD hate crimes task force went to the Catholic high school.

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of New York said the white, 15-year-old student confessed to drawing on his classmate but said it was meant to be a "prank."

The white student was charged as a juvenile with second-degree aggravated harassment as a hate crime. An archdiocese spokesman confirmed the student was issued a summons and released into the custody of his parents.