[Shadow_Group] Federal government ignores civil rights

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

Decline found in civil rights charges
By Curt Anderson, Associated Press  |  November 22, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Federal enforcement of civil rights laws has declined sharply since 1999 although the number of complaints received by the Justice Department has remained relatively constant, according a study released yesterday.

Criminal charges alleging civil rights violations were brought last year against 84 defendants, down from 159 in 1999, according to Justice Department data analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

In addition, the study found that the number of times the FBI or other federal investigative agencies recommended prosecution in civil rights cases has fallen by more than a third, from more than 3,000 in 1999 to more than 1,900 last year. Federal court data also suggest that the government has sought fewer sanctions against civil rights violators.

The study's coauthor, David Burnham of TRAC, said the results indicate that civil rights enforcement declined across the board during President Bush's first term in office. The Justice Department enforces a range of civil rights laws, from guaranteeing fair housing access to prosecuting hate crimes.

''Collectively, some violators of the civil rights laws are not being dealt with by the government," Burnham said. ''They've declined by a huge number of cases. This trend, we think, is significant."

It is unlikely that the decline has occurred because there are fewer civil rights violations, the study suggests. The number of complaints about possible violations received by the Justice Department has remained level at about 12,000 annually for each of the past five years.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/11/22/decline_found_in_civil_rights_charges/<http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/11/22/decline_found_in_civil_rights_charges/>



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