A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference. Civil rights attorneys handle cases involving the rights of individuals to be free from unequal treatment (or discrimination) based on legally-protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and religion. Civil rights cases can arise in a number of settings -- including employment, housing, lending, and education.
Pierce is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 884 at the 2000 census. The town is a rural agricultural community located on the Colorado Eastern Plains along U.S. Highway 85 north of Greeley. It was founded in 1869 and incorporated in 1918. It was named in honor of John Pierce, then president of the Union Pacific Railroad, in anticipation of the construction of an extension of the Union Pacific line southward into Colorado. The following year in 1870 it became a watering stop for steam locomotives on the newly built Denver Pacific Railroad . A box car was used as the first town post office, depot, and telegraph office. A depot was constructed in 1905 and demolished in 1963. As a railroad stop, it became a local shipping point for cattle, sheep, potatoes, beans, and sugar beets. The town underwent a decline in population (from 1,000 in 1976) and its economic base during the latter 20th century with the construction of highways that allowed more direct shipping of agricultural products. The town today consists of a small grid of gravel streets, with one paved thoroughfare (Main Street) west of U.S. Highway 85. The principal businesses in town include a grain elevator, as well as a grocery store, tavern, and other businesses along Main Street. The town also has a school, a volunteer fire station, a church, and a town park.