“I’m gay and when I came out at school some kids slashed my tires.” – 17 year old

The differences between people are one of the things that make life interesting. Hatred based on a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation or other differences is called racism or discrimination and IS WRONG. Violence towards another IS WRONG.

Just because a person does or says something that hurts or angers you does not give you the right to judge others because of this one person’s actions. One person does not and cannot represent an entire people. This is called stereotyping. If someone is bothering you, talk about the specific problem; don’t blame it on the person’s differences or who they are.

Violence, name calling, threatening or harassing does not make differences go away, nor does it make you a bigger or better person. If you are being bothered or are doing the bothering, don’t do anything stupid that will get you into trouble or hurt you or someone else. If you can’t talk to the person, find a trusted adult or call one of the numbers listed below.

If you are a victim of a hate/racist crime, contact your local police department.

Tips For Tolerance:

• Learn about others – read, explore, talk
• Admit your fears or concerns and talk about them
• Ask questions – don’t assume you know it all
• Look for similarities, not differences
• Find out for yourself. Don’t believe everything you hear
• Realize the actions of one does not represent the actions of all
• View each person as an individual
• Get to know someone before you judge them
• Don’t make jokes about differences – they can hurt
• Respect others. Because someone is different, it doesn’t mean they (or you) are better or worse

Resources

310-286-3383Break The Cycle

M-F 8:30am-4:30pm
Website: www.breakthecycle.org
Prevention and intervention. Serves all of L.A. County residents. Education programs for schools, youth groups, and Juvenile Detention Centers.

213-738-2788County of Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations

M-F 8am-5pm
Website: www.lahumanrelations.org
Collaborates with public/private agencies thoughout L.A. County to improve human relations/conflict resolution systems. Programs include: Hate Crime Network, Hate Crime Mentoring/Reporting, and a Human Relations Mutual Assistance Consortium.

323-526-5819East Los Angeles Women’s Center

M-Th 9am-6pm, F 9am-4pm
Website: www.elawc.org
Serves women ages 13 and over, crisis intervention for sexual assault and domestic violence victims. HIV/AIDS services. Community outreach and prevention programs. No Fees. Peer counseling. Support group on domestic violence – Tuesday mornings only.

909-623-4364House of Ruth

M-F 9am-5pm
Website: www.houseofruthinc.org
24-hour Crisis Hotline (collect calls accepted): 877-988-5559
Information provided on shelters, crisis intervention, referral and other support services. Short-term safe shelter includes food, clothes, etc. Individual and group counseling, teen support groups and community outreach. No fees.

323-980-3500Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice

M-F 8:30am-5:30pm
By appointment only.
Website: www.laclj.org
Free legal representation/advocacy in areas of family law, government benefits, consumer law, and housing law.

213-473-3231Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office – Victim Assistance Program

M-F 8am-4:45pm
Website: www.lacity.org
Free assistance for victims of ALL types of crimes. 11 branch offices located in LA. Services provided: crisis intervention, emergency, referral services, court support, & assistance in applying for compensation from state funds to assist victims.

213-978-2097Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office – Domestic Violence and Crisis Hotline

M-F 8:30am.-5pm
Coordinates and monitors prosecution effort of criminal activity related to domestic violence. Provides information on shelters and safety issues of battered victims. Hotline provides counseling and referrals. Hotline 24 hr/7 day a week (Bilingual).

202-467-8700National Center for Victims of Crime

M-F 8:30am-8:30pm
Website: www.ncvc.org
Hotline is 1-800-FYI-CALL
Information and referrals to support services nationwide. Online resources for victims of crime and agencies who serve them. Advocates for victims’ rights.

866-331-9474National Teen and Young Adult Dating Abuse Hotline

24 hours
TTY: 886-331-8453
Website: www.loveisrespect.org
Text “loveis” to 77054
Counseling for dating violence. Online chat also available on website.

805-982-5037NBVC Fleet and Family Services Center

M-F 7:30am-4pm
Crisis intervention, safety assessment and planning, arrangements for transportation to shelters, medical, legal representation in court and support groups to victims of domestic violence whose parents are in military services.

323-753-1314Seeking Peaceful Solutions

M-W 8:30am-8pm; Th, F by appt; Sat 10am-12pm; Sun by appt.
Services for youth, teens, adolescents, and adults in the areas of anger management, teen dating violence, and substance abuse services.  Mental health services, individual and group counseling.  Services are offered on a fee for services based on the sliding scale system.  Services all of Los Angeles County.

323-777-4893Stop the Violence, Increase the Peace Foundation

M-F 9am-5pm; Sat 9am-11am
Website: www.regionalvpc.org
Programs in anger management, conflict resolution, leadership training and counseling. Domestic violence, parenting, and individual counseling.  Fees on a sliding scale system.  Programs for ages 13-19.

510-594-2588Youth Alive

M-F 9am-5pm
Website: www.youthalive.org
Young adults who have experienced violence in their own lives are trained to become peer educators and advocates in the field of violence prevention.

More Links

• www.report-it.com – Report weapons in school anonymously
• www.thatsnotcool.com- General Information about relationship abuse, harassment, and peer pressure.