Discrimination Law Used to Indict Neo-Nazis Assaulting African Americans

On June 5th, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reinstated the indictment of five people associated with a white supremacist gang who beat two African-Americans to "keep black individuals out of their neighborhood".  The beatings occurred at a 7-11 convenience store. 

The court ruled that the 7-11 store is a public accommodation and the federal government has jurisdiction to prosecute attempts to interfere with the right of individuals to "enjoy" the use of such facilities.  The court held that the evil addressed by the statute, in this instance, is segregation of places to which people resort for entertainment (use of video games).  The store was not charged with discrimination, but the white supremacist gang was charged with using violence to prevent blacks and Hispanics from using the store because of their race or national origin.

U.S. Attorney, Charles Stevens, in Sacramento has developed a law enforcement network consisting of his office, the county district attorney, and the Sacramento police and sheriff departments.  The network is unique in California.  Local and federal law enforcement agencies review hate crimes responded to by the police and sheriff departments and make decisions on which agency will take the lead in their prosecution. 

For further information about the network contact: Helene Tenette 916-554-2700 or write to the U.S. Attorney, 555 Capitol Mall Suite 1550, Sacramento, 95814