News

Maine attorney general to discuss hate crimes at NAACP meeting

By Brian Sylvester

Posted on Nov. 16, 2006, at 12:00 a.m.

Earlier this week, James Varner, president emeritus of the Greater Bangor Area NAACP and adviser to the University of Maine Human Rights Student Coalition, met with Maine state Attorney General Steve Rowe, and confirmed that the attorney general will be speaking at the GBA NAACP’s annual meeting on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Rowe will address the branch members of the NAACP specifically about hate crimes, how to report them, and more importantly how to prevent them.

“The attorney general is going to define a hate crime,” Varner said. “At the meeting we’re going to talk about the mission of the attorney general.”

Rowe will present his annual report, which he will begin by describing what qualifies as a hate crime. Traditionally, hate crimes include: aggravated assault, arson, burglary, criminal homicide, motor vehicle theft, robbery and sex offenses, in which the victim was intentionally selected because of their actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability. Maine state law, in contrast, currently defines a hate crime as “criminal conduct motivated by bias.”

The presentation comes in the aftermath of a much-publicized hate crime that occurred last September. A 21-year-old black woman, seven months pregnant, was kicked in the stomach by a 59-year-old white male while four other men watched.

The attack prompted an outcry from the community and the NAACP, leading to several shows of support for the victim of the attack. The alleged assailant turned himself in several days after the attack, and was released on bail. The attorney general will give an update on that case during the meeting.

The Greater Bangor Area NAACP will elect new officers and discuss forming a civil rights team for Bangor High School. Civil rights teams are groups of interested students who band together to prevent discrimination on the basis of appearance, race, or gender. There are already civil rights teams in Old Town and Orono high schools.

The meeting will take place Sunday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, which is located behind City Hall at 120 Park Street. Varner encouraged members of UMaine’s student body to attend the meeting and get involved with the NAACP.

The NAACP will also be making a formal announcement about this year’s Kwanzaa celebration, which will be held on Dec. 17.

“We have the biggest Kwanzaa celebration in the state,” Varner said. He invited students to attend the celebration, which will feature free food.

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