Heartland Presidential Forum on Dec. 1 in Des Moines, Iowa

From an email I received today from Alan Jenkins:

As we head into the 2008 presidential election cycle, it's time to consider how we center the values that are important to us in the midst of the political rhetoric and debate. We want to share with you one such opportunity. Held in Des Moines, Iowa on December 1, The Heartland Presidential Forum will kick off the Campaign for Community Values. This campaign emphasizes through community values the idea that we're all in it together, and that we must address challenges collectively to move forward.

The Heartland Presidential Forum, sponsored by the Center for Community Change, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and dozens of grassroots organizing groups, will bring together Iowans, Midwesterners and others who want to address issues important to them through this lens of community. With special emphasis on health care, clean elections, workers' rights, and immigration, the Forum will challenge candidates to outline how their vision for the country will bring us together and strengthen our national community. Participants will include Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and Barack Obama.

If you are in the area, please consider joining us for this remarkable event.

Sincerely,

Alan Jenkins

The Heartland Presidential Forum
Saturday, December 1, 2007
1:30 p.m.
HyVee Hall
730 3rd Street
Des Moines, Iowa

For more information about the forum, and for tickets:
http://www.communitychange.org/iowa-heartland-forum/

To learn more about the Campaign for Community Values:
http://www.communitychange.org/community_values/

MALDEF: FBI Report Documents Hate Crimes Against Latinos at Record Level

MALDEF today issued a press release saying that a FBI Hate Crimes Statistics Report issued today shows a sharp increase in the number of hate crimes reported against Hispanics based on their ethnicity or national origin to the highest levels since the reports were first mandated by the Hate Crimes Statistics Act.

According to the report, in 2006, Hispanics comprised 62.8% of victims of crimes motivated by a bias toward the victims’ ethnicity or national origin. In 2004, the comparable figure was 51.5%. Since 2004, the number of victims of anti-Hispanic crimes increased by 25%.

“Anti-immigrant hatred heard on the radio and cable shows reaches America’s neighborhoods with real consequences,” stated MALDEF President and General Counsel John Trasviña. “Heightened anti-immigrant sentiment has blocked immigration reform and seeks to turn local police into immigration law enforcers thus making it more difficult for victims to report crimes. The FBI report should serve as a wake up call to our nation’s leaders to take action on comprehensive immigration reform, reduce tensions and safeguard the basic civil rights and liberties of all Americans.”

The report goes on to demonstrate the steady growth of anti-Hispanic hate crimes after 2004.

2006: 576 anti-Hispanic crimes against 819 victims
2005: 522 anti-Hispanic crimes against 722 victims
2004: 475 anti-Hispanic crimes against 646 victims
2003: 426 anti-Hispanic crimes against 595 victims
2002: 480 anti-Hispanic crimes against 639 victims

Founded in 1968, MALDEF, the nation’s leading Latino legal organization, promotes and protects the rights of Latinos through litigation, advocacy, community education and outreach, leadership development, and higher education scholarships. For more information on MALDEF, please visit: www.maldef.org