United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced that the United States Attorney’s
Office for the Western District of Tennessee has launched a series of presentations in district
high schools aimed at educating students on identifying, reporting, and preventing hate crimes and
other civil rights violations.
This effort is part of the Department of Justice’s United Against Hate Program, developed by its
Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative. Today, attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge from the FBI, and officers from the Memphis Police
Department’s Office of Community Policing launched the local program at Central High School in
Memphis and plan to visit additional schools in 2023.
“Civil rights enforcement is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney
Ritz. “Ensuring that our citizens, even the young ones, understand the law and how to report what
they believe are civil rights violations or hate crimes is essential. Our goal is to equip Memphis
youth with the tools to recognize hate crimes or discrimination when it happens and with what steps
they should take afterward.”
“Hate crimes have a devastating impact not just on the victims and their families, but communities
as well,” said Douglas DePodesta, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation’s Memphis Field Office. “The FBI has been engaged in a nationwide effort to build
awareness and encourage individuals to report violations and will continue to do so through the
United Against Hate program and other platforms. We want everyone, including students, to
understand that if they encounter what they believe is a hate crime that the FBI is here to investigate.”