by Mike Rhodes

Stop the Hate is the theme for a town hall to be held in Reedley on June 30. Hate crimes and incidents are on the rise, and this event will bring together a coalition of groups with the tools and information needed to confront that challenge.

Learn how to report a hate crime, what community groups have resources to assist you and, most important, how to prevent hate crimes and incidents before they happen.

Topics will include the following:

· Indigenous people’s rights. This segment will cover the dramatic increase in the disappearance and murder of Indigenous women, the naming of Yokuts Valley and tribal recognition.
· Police-community interactions: information on how to report hate crimes and incidents.
· Violence against the San Joaquin Valley LGBTQ+ community.
· The rise of homelessness in the area and our response.
· Immigration and the unjust treatment of workers without documentation.

Sponsoring groups are the Community Alliance newspaper, the San Joaquin Valley Media Alliance, the Reedley Peace Center, Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries, the Fresno Center, BAPAC, the NAACP (Madera Chapter), the Central Valley Partnership, Residents for Renaming S Valley, Power Latinx, the Human Rights Coalition of the Central Valley, Indigenous Justice, the Fresno Homeless Union, and the Dolores Huerta Foundation.

The Stop the Hate town hall in Reedley takes place on June 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the First Mennonite Church of Reedley (1208 L St.). There will be free food, childcare and translation for Spanish and English speakers. The event concludes with a raffle.

This Stop the Hate town hall is organized by the Community Alliance newspaper and the San Joaquin Valley Media Alliance and is made possible by a grant from the California State Library under the statewide Stop the Hate initiative.
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Mike Rhodes is the executive director of the Community Alliance newspaper and author of the book Dispatches from the War Zone, about homelessness in Fresno. His website is www.mikerhodes.us. Contact him at mikerhodes@comcast.net.

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Mike Rhodes
Executive Director
Community Alliance Newspaper
www.fresnoalliance.com