Community Relations Service

COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE TO SPONSOR TOWN HALL MEETING FOR ARAB, MUSLIM, AND SIKH LEADERS AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS IN LOS ANGELES AND ORANGE COUNTIES IN LA MIRADA, CALIFORNIA

      WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On January 19, 2002, the Community Relations Service (CRS) will sponsor a town hall meeting for Arab, Muslim, and Sikh leaders and federal officials in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn, 14299 Firestone Blvd., La Mirada, California, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

      The purpose of the town hall meeting is to reduce the level of anxiety in the Muslim American and Middle Eastern communities, as well as strengthening the direct access of the affected communities with key Department of Justice officials. Representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the FBI, and INS will attend the town hall meeting.

      "The Attorney General and the President have made clear their vision for all Americans -- regardless of their racial, ethnic, or national origin -- to live in peaceful communities. CRS is actively working to help the many racial and ethnic communities in Southern California affected by the events of September 11 to have their concerns heard and to find resolutions," said CRS Director Sharee M. Freeman.

      Some of the participating organizations in the town hall meeting include: Arab American Republican Club of Orange County, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Arab-American Democratic Club of Orange County, South Asian Network, and Sikh Coalition.

      For more information about the Community Relations Service, a unique racial conflict resolution and prevention agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, please see its web site at www.usdoj.gov/crs.

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