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.
Tenaha is a town in Shelby County, Texas, United States- established February 2, 1886. The population was 1,046 at the 2000 census. The town's name is taken from the Caddo language for "Muddy Water". (According to An Informal History of Texas by Frank X. Tolbert, "Tenaha" is the Caddo word for "urine. ") In 2009 Tenaha has become the subject of a class action over allegations that local police regularly made improper seizures of cash, jewelry, and property from African-American or Latino motorists passing through the town. Arrested drivers were given a choice of either going to jail on money-laundering felony charges or handing over all their valuables in order to be allowed to walk free. In one case a couple surrendered $6,000 to keep their children out of child protection services.