Everything You Need To Know About Civil Rights Violations
Civil Rights Violations: What Minnesota Residents Should Know
As Americans, we’re afforded numerous freedoms, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world. When our freedoms are infringed upon, we consider such offenses to be a big deal—and rightfully so! Among these important freedoms are our freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion; our right to petition the government and a right to procedural due process. The freedom from discrimination is another important American freedom, one which applies to certain protected classes, including race, sex, and national origin.
A civil rights violation is an offense which occurs as a result of threat of force against a victim by an offender because the victim is a member of a protected class. If someone is assaulted because they belong to a certain race or gender, for example, this may be considered a civil rights violation.
If you believe you’ve been the victim of a civil rights violation, reach out to a civil rights attorney in Minnesota. We’ve brought and won many civil rights cases. Getting victims just compensation for civil rights violations is something we’ll always fight for.
Examples Of Civil Rights Violations
Some civil rights violations are blatant—such as a physical assault of someone because of their belonging to a protected class. Others are more subtle, such as denial of housing because of one’s belonging to a certain protected class. In short, civil rights violations can take many forms, but the few discussed below are the ones that are unfortunately common in the United States:
Housing Discrimination Because of Race: An African American man or woman submits an application to lease an apartment and is refused because the landlord prefers to only have Caucasian tenants in his building. There are state and federal fair housing and anti-discrimination laws which prevent landlords from using race alone as a basis for housing denial, and one may bring a civil rights case in Minnesota against a landlord who’s operating in such a way.
Refusal of Service Because of Sex/Gender Identity: A homosexual man or woman is refused service at a restaurant because of their sex/gender identity. Again, there are both state and federal laws which prohibit such conduct, and one may file suit based on the above discrimination.
Workplace Harassment: Workplace harassment is often associated with sexual harassment, though workplace harassment can take other forms as well. Sexual harassment, being the most common form of workplace harassment, violates both Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as well as Minnesota law. The following are examples of workplace sexual harassment:
- Unwelcome sexual advances
- Requests for sexual favors
- Offensive remarks about a person’s sex
- Verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
Seeking Professional Legal Help
If you’ve been the victim of a civil rights violation, you deserve fair restitution. Our civil rights attorneys in Minnesota can help you secure this. Call us now to discuss your situation and potential options. The initial consultation is free.