PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Anti-Defamation League and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office are partnering to host a free virtual event for the Spanish speaking community about hate crimes.
For the Guatemalan Maya Center, last year had its difficulties.
"This past year close to the elections in March, we were vandalized our building was vandalized here in Lake Worth," said Assistant Executive Director Mariana Blanco.
Blanco said other crimes in the undocumented population often go unreported.
“Lack of reporting in the community with everything because of different policies in place," Blanco said.
On Thursday, Feb. 4, the Anti-Defamation League and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office will team up with leaders in the Hispanic community for a free virtual presentation on hate crimes.
"The hate crimes are not just based on one segment of the population. They have increased over the last few years," said attorney Daniel Lustig.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, there were 7,314 reported hate crimes to the FBI in 2019. For Lustig, helping to stop this trend is personal.
"My grandparents were victims of the second World War and the Holocaust, and they were in concentration camps," Lustig said.
Lustig's grandmother, Dora, has her story documented at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He said he wants people in the Hispanic community to understand their rights and not give into fear.
“There’s laws in Florida that enhance the penalty for the offender and that’s why the sheriff’s office is involved because they want to make sure that people know and understand that it’s not okay to do that," Lustig said.
The virtual presentation on hate crimes will take place on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. To register, click here.
