Safety Concerns Postpone St. Cloud Hate Crimes Forum

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Officials have postponed a forum on hate crimes in St. Cloud over safety concerns.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the St. Cloud Area Regional Human Rights Commission postponed the forum scheduled for Wednesday.

State Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero says, "Hate is not a value in St. Cloud or in any part of our state." Lucero says she is "heartbroken by the attempts to silence discussion on hate crimes."

The panel would have included executive director Jaylani Hussein of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Justin Lewandowski, policy and community organizer for OutFront Minnesota.

Reports say social media posts said a group planned to protest the Muslim advocacy group's involvement on the panel. Other groups were organized to protest that rally.