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.
Cisco is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,851 at the 2000 census. Conrad Hilton started the Hilton Hotel chain with a single hotel bought in Cisco. Hilton came to Cisco to buy a bank, but the bank cost too much, so he purchased the Mobley Hotel in 1919. The hotel is now a local museum and community center. During the 1920s, Cisco, like nearby Ranger, Eastland, and Desdemona, was a petroleum boomtown. Cisco Junior College is located in Cisco, one of two community colleges located in Eastland County. Ranger likewise has a community college, Ranger College. In 1925, the first annual meeting of the West Texas Historical Association was held in Cisco. The association, formed in 1924, was then based at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene but moved in 1998 to Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The Santa Claus Bank Robbery occurred in Cisco in 1927, when Marshall Ratliff and his gang attempted to rob the First National Bank. As of August 2009, the bank site is occupied by an auto parts store, with a Texas Historical Commission sign up front, commemorating the event.