More than 125 people turned out yesterday for the BCPO’s “Responding to Hate with Hope” forum to discuss bias incidents and crimes and look at ways to lessen such occurrences in Burlington County.
Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw unveiled a plan to reduce acts of bias and hate through a program that allows police to intervene after an offense has occurred and provide training, education, and exposure to other cultures for the offender.
U.S. Congressman Andy Kim, of New Jersey’s Third District, talked about efforts on the federal level to address bias, and emphasized the importance of a multi-pronged approach to achieve progress.
The keynote speaker was Frank Meeink, a former white supremacist and Philadelphia native who discussed being lured into the neo-Nazi movement as a teenager and serving time in prison for aggravated assault before coming to the realization that hatred is wrong, and everyone should be treated with kindness and respect.
Original source can be found here.
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