For Immediate Release
September 26th, 2001
Contact: Linda Le (714) 347-8410
District Attorney to Meet with Vietnamese Community on Parental Rights
WESTMINSTER — District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and a panel of legal and educational experts will hold a town hall meeting Sunday to discuss parental rights and responsibilities with the Vietnamese community.
The panel will consist of police, a prosecutor and defense attorney, a psychologist, school counselor, probation officer and county Social Services worker. The expert panel will be available to answer questions such as what to do if a child commits a crime, what resources are available to parents to help correct improper child conduct and what the law says about the earnings of children who work.
“Members of the Vietnamese community asked me whether I would sponsor town hall meetings on various topics,” Rackauckas said. “Orange County has a large immigrant population and different cultures have different ideas about what their rights and responsibilities are as parents. I want to let the parents know what the law says and to let them know help is out there if they need it.”
The District Attorney formed a Vietnamese Advisory Commission in December 2000 to assist in identifying barriers to resident participation in and cooperation with the criminal justice system and to develop innovative and culturally responsive solutions to those problems. The Vietnamese Advisory Commission identified the need for town hall meetings to foster a dialogue between community members and representatives from the District Attorney’s Office and other public agencies such as law enforcement and social services.
This meeting will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30, at the Westminster Community Center, 8200 Westminster Blvd., Westminster and will consist of a presentation from agency representatives followed by a question-and-answer period.