United Against Hate program set for June 10 in Petoskey

PETOSKEY — The nonprofit organization Northern Michigan Against Hate (NOMIAH), in partnership with the Petoskey District Library, will host a presentation at 7 p.m. on June 10 called “An Evening with Mark Totten — Identifying and Reporting Acts of Hate.”

The event, which will take place at the Carnegie Building in Petoskey, is free and open to the public.

Mark Totten is the United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan. He is responsible for the western half of the Lower Peninsula and the whole of the Upper Peninsula. He supervises approximately 45 attorneys and 45 support staff who are responsible for prosecuting federal law throughout the district.

In 2023, Totten announced the district’s formation of a Civil Rights Team of federal prosecutors and the launch of the “United Against Hate" initiative, a nationwide effort by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat unlawful acts of hate. The United Against Hate program consists of ongoing local forums that connect community groups to federal, state and local law enforcement to increase community understanding and reporting of hate crimes, build trust between law enforcement and communities, and create and strengthen alliances between law enforcement and other government partners and community groups to combat unlawful acts of hate.

The presentation in Petoskey will include information on defining hate crimes versus hate incidents, the importance of reporting unlawful acts of hate, providing options for responding to hate incidents when situations do not constitute a federal or state crime, and distinguishing unlawful conduct from protected First Amendment activity, including identifying protected speech versus speech that advocates violence or encourages people to commit hate crimes.

NOMIAH also organizes the annual “Walk Against Hate” in Petoskey. This year's walk will take place at 2 p.m. on Sept. 29, beginning in Pennsylvania Park.

For more information about NOMIAH, email nomiagainsthate@gmail.com or visit the group's Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: United Against Hate program set for June 10 in Petoskey