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.
Hugo is a commuter town 14 miles (23 km) north of downtown Saint Paul in Washington County in the U.S. state of Minnesota . The city lies north of White Bear Lake on the border of the metropolitan boundary. Hugo and nearby suburbs comprise the northeast portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau recorded the population of the City of Hugo at 6,363 people in 2000. The Metropolitan Council estimate for 2006 was 10,361, and the Census Bureau estimated for 2008 was 13,139. Originally settled by French and French Canadians, the township was originally named Oneka, later Centerville Station, and finally Hugo around 1906, which officially incorporated as a city in 1972. Hugo early on established itself as a refueling station for the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad. Later, the town associated more closely with the services and businesses of the larger City of Centerville to the east, but after the turn of the century Hugo had absorbed significant suburban growth and development, becoming a boom town. The city's largest lake, Oneka Lake, is named for the Dakota word "onakan," which means "to strike or knock off," rice into a canoe. Just south is Rice Lake where Mdewakanton Dakota from Mendota gathered wild rice. The origin of the name Hugo is not exactly known but is consistent with the town's French history. The Washington County Historical Society suggests it was for French author Victor Hugo, or more likely named after Trevanion William Hugo, who was chief engineer of the Consolidated Elevator Company in Duluth and former Duluth mayor, who likely had ties to the railroad.