Thousands of marchers converged near the Justice Department in Washington, DC, today, to protest what they say is a lax attitude toward prosecuting hate crimes. The marchers, led by Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, cited the Jena 6 controversy in Louisiana and a subsequent spate of incidents involving nooses or swastikas, the Washington Post reports.
The Justice Department said in a statement it is "deeply committed to the vigorous enforcement of our nation's civil rights laws," but many contend it has turned a blind eye to racially motivated crimes. "I feel that they're ignoring African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities, and treating us as if we're insignificant and don't need anything," said one protester. (More hate crime stories.)