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.
Ridgefield is a city in the pastoral, rolling-hills countryside of northern Clark County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,147 at the 2000 census. Ridgefield is notable for the significant Native American and Lewis and Clark Expedition history of the area, but is also the home of the beautiful and verdant Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, a primary reserve for migrating waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway, and the somewhat oddly-named Ridgefield High School "Spudders" (reflecting the area's potato-farming heritage). The city is home to several annual community events, such as their old-fashioned Fourth of July Celebration, and also holds a bird festival that attracts bird lovers from around the region and beyond. While the town of Ridgefield is in itself relatively modest in size, the geographic area that is locally also called Ridgefield is quite a bit larger, extending from the Columbia River to its immediate west, the Lewis River to the north, several miles past Interstate 5 to the east, and south nearly to Vancouver, Washington, encompassing both the Clark County Fairgrounds and the Amphitheater at Clark County .