By New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity

We spoke with Sean Locke, Director of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Unit, on how their work is essential for promoting social justice and equality in New Hampshire.

The Civil Rights Unit in New Hampshire plays a vital role in ensuring everyone is treated equally and fairly under the law. Created in December 2017 under the Department of Justice’s Office of the Attorney General, it primarily enforces two laws – the New Hampshire Law Against Discrimination and the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act – and is responsible for investigating and prosecuting civil rights violations in the state.

“This was the first time the Department of Justice had a freestanding civil rights unit. It investigates complaints of actual or threatened physical violence, property damage, or property trespassing that are motivated by a person’s protected characteristics. These include race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. The unit also investigates complaints of discrimination in employment, housing, education, and places of public accommodation, based on those same protected characteristics.”

— Sean Locke, Director of the Civil Rights Unite

Before 2017, the Office of the Attorney General had enforcement authority under the Civil Rights Act and the NH laws against discrimination, but there weren’t the same kind of dedicated resources and focus that having a standalone unit provides.

“We want to make sure that everyone knows this is a go-to place to file complaints. The Commission for Human Rights has existed since the 1960s to take complaints of discrimination under state and federal law. And with the creation and establishment of the Civil Rights Unit in 2017, the office decided to reassert its authority in enforcing the Civil Rights Act, enforcing the state’s anti-discrimination laws.”

— Sean Locke, Director of the Civil Rights Unit

The Recent Rise In Hate Crimes in New Hampshire is on the Civil Rights Unit’s Radar

A major milestone of the Civil Rights Unit is combating hate-motivated acts in the state and enforcing the Civil Rights Act. This started with the promulgation of protocols with local law enforcement in 2019:

“In December of 2019, the Civil Rights Unit and the Attorney General’s Office established protocols for law enforcement to help better identify and investigate hate-motivated acts. And as part of that, the expectation is that when potential hate or bias-motivated incidents occur and are brought to law enforcement’s attention, they are brought to the Attorney General’s Office’s attention as well. That way we have a sense of what is going on and where we can take action to exercise our authority in the Civil Rights Act.”

— Sean Locke, Director of the Civil Rights Unit

Another of the Civil Rights Unit’s areas of focus related to hate-motivated acts is training for law enforcement:

“Along with the promulgation of these protocols back in 2019, we began training every police officer that goes through the police academy to identify and investigate hate crimes. So, they get a 2-hour block addressing what factors and information to consider when confirming or dispelling whether a hate motivation is present or not in a criminal act or when police are being called for assistance.”

— Sean Locke, Director of the Civil Rights Unit

The Civil Rights Unit’s most recent work, in terms of community outreach, led to the hate crime forum, which took place after the incidents that happened in Portsmouth in early 2023:

“Reaching out and being available to different communities when they are targeted or when members of their communities are being targeted by hate-motivated acts is also part of our mission. And there’s always more to do for outreach and getting the word out. Hopefully, someday our work will be done, but unfortunately, it never really stops at this stage.”

— Sean Locke, Director of the Civil Rights Unit

Everyone should be familiar with what their civil rights are, so they can protect theirs and respect others’

An entity like the Civil Rights Unit is essential not only as part of individuals’ right to have equal access to justice but also to clarify the message that discrimination and hate have no place in New Hampshire. To stress the importance of non-discrimination and civil rights, the Unit provides education and outreach to help prevent discrimination and promote understanding and acceptance of diversity. This includes working with community organizations, schools, and other groups to raise awareness of civil rights issues and to provide training on how to prevent discrimination.

“We have a few avenues for outreach. First, whenever we bring action and take action, we make a point of announcing what we’re doing, and usually, local media pick up on the work that we’re doing. We also work closely with the Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion, and that puts us in touch with several community and advocacy groups.”

— Sean Locke, Director of the Civil Rights Unit

The Civil Rights Unit also offers training on civil rights laws, to promote awareness and understanding:

“We’ve done training for different community groups on civil rights laws. And with the recent appointment of the former Deputy Attorney General to be the U.S. attorney, we’ve also worked, together with federal partners, to have hate crime forums and community outreach events. These offer spaces to engage with local community members and ask questions and learn about the work that we do and what happens even behind the scenes when complaints are filed, or what occurs when these cases are brought forward and investigated.”

— Sean Locke, Director of the Civil Rights Unit

The Unit’s efforts to investigate and prosecute discrimination, address hate crimes and bias incidents, and ensure accessibility for people with disabilities are critical in creating a more fair and equitable society. The Unit’s outreach and education efforts are also essential in promoting understanding and acceptance of diversity and in preventing discrimination before it occurs and protecting the rights of marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Click here to learn more about making a complaint with the Civil Rights Unit.

Biography

Assistant Attorney General Sean Locke has worked at the Attorney General’s Office in New Hampshire for 8 years and became the Director of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Unit in 2019. With a background in Law and Disability Rights, he is also an Adjunct Professor at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, in Concord, New Hampshire.