Hate & Bias 101

As hate crime and bias incident rates continue to increase across the country, including in Oregon, it is essential for victims’ rights attorneys to understand the legal framework surrounding potential state and/or federal criminal investigations and prosecutions. In this training, Assistant United States Attorney Gavin Bruce (Federal District of Oregon) and Assistant District Attorney BJ Park (Marion County, Oregon) will discuss the foundations of hate and bias crimes and incidents under both federal law and in Oregon. This CLE will help prepare attorneys to more effectively provide legal advice to victims of hate and bias crimes that are subject to investigation and potential prosecution in either state or federal court.

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Gavin W. Bruce started his career at the Portland law firm of Lindsay Hart, LLP. In 2016, he accepted a position as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the Eugene Branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. Gavin serves as one of the office’s civil rights coordinators, investigating and prosecuting federal hate crimes across the State of Oregon.

BJ Park has been a prosecutor for over 25 years. He was first a prosecutor in Chicago, Illinois for some 15 years where he handled some of their most violent and heinous crimes at a high volume. He then came to the Oregon Department of Justice for 5 years as well as the Multnomah County DA’s Office for another 5 years where he handled some of their most high profile and complex cases. He is now with the Marion County DA’s Office. He specializes in bias crimes and secured the first conviction under the newly reformed bias crime law.

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This project is funded under 15POVC-22-GK-03314-NONF, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.