The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office are hosting a conference to educate law enforcement about the federal Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act today at Georgia State University.
Community organizations are asked to attend from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. while law enforcement personnel are scheduled for training from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Atlanta is one of the cities where this training is taking place because Georgia was one of only five states that did not have a state hate crimes law in effect. The other states were Arkansas, Indiana, South Carolina and Wyoming. The federal law provides protections for sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
The conference is at the GSU student center, 44 Courtland St., Atlanta, GA 30303-3973.