2 Programs Aim to Prevent Hate Crimes, Aid Victims

On Monday evening the Antelope Valley Human Relations Hate Crime Task Force and area officials will announce two projects designed to prevent hate crimes and help victims.

Juvenile Offenders Learning Tolerance, or JOLT, will target juveniles who commit hate crimes, said Darren Parker, chairman of the task force. The program seeks to change the thinking of young perpetrators, he said.

“At that point they still have choices they can make,” Parker said. “Once they find out they have choices, they usually make the right choices. So we set out to reeducate the youth of the community.”

Through the program, young people convicted of hate crimes will have to do community service in areas where they committed the acts, he said.

The task force also has created the Hate Crimes Recovery Group, a support group for victims.

“Hate crime is something that affects the whole community,” Parker said. “We want to show [victims] there is support from the community.”

Officials will also discuss how minorities are viewed in the Antelope Valley and whether race or national origin are factors in arrests or prosecutions, Parker said. There will be time for audience members to ask questions, he said.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Palmdale City Hall, 38300 N. Sierra Highway. The hate crime support group meets the first and third Thursday of each month at the Mental Health Assn., 43423 N. Division St., Lancaster.