[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 87 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H6390-H6393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS WITH RESPECT TO RECENT CHURCH BURNINGS
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the
Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of
the concurrent resolution (House Concurrent Resolution 187) expressing
the sense of the Congress with respect to recent church burnings, and
ask for its immediate consideration in the House; that debate on the
concurrent resolution be limited to fifty minutes, equally divided and
controlled by myself and the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs.
Clayton]; and that the previous question be considered as ordered on
the concurrent resolution to final adoption without intervening motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oklahoma?
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, although I
do not plan to object, let me just understand the time.
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
Mrs. CLAYTON. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, 50 minutes total, 25 minutes per
side.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, we have quite a number of people who have
expressed a desire to speak, and I would like some accommodation. I
know that the gentleman has been working with me, but is it possible we
can do 30 minutes each side?
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman would continue
to yield, we probably will not use our 25 minutes, so I can accommodate
the gentlewoman, yes.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that.
Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
[[Page H6391]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oklahoma?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the resolution.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 187
Whereas more than 30 African-American churches have been
burned over the last 18 months;
Whereas arrests have been made in only 5 of the cases
currently under investigation;
Whereas the African-American community deserves the full
support of Congress in solving these cases in an expeditious
manner and it is important for Congress to speak out against
the recent incidents of arson; and
Whereas several measures which would expedite the
investigation into these incidents and assist in the
prosecution of individuals found guilty of involvement in
these incidents are now pending before Congress: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
(1) attacks on places of worship because of the race,
color, denomination, or ethnicity of the congregation
undermine fundamental American ideals;
(2) these fires appear to be hate crimes and also
implicitly interfere with the First Amendment rights and
other civil rights of the victims;
(3) the arson of a place of worship is repulsive to us as a
society;
(4) the Congress condemns, in the strongest possible terms,
these abhorrent actions against freely worshipping American
citizens and the African-American community in particular;
(5) the Congress sends its sincere condolences to those
individuals who have been affected by these acts of
cowardice;
(6) the Congress fully supports the activities of local law
enforcement officials, the Department of Justice, and the
Department of the Treasury in investigating these incidents;
(7) the Congress urges the United States Attorney General
and local prosecutors to seek the maximum penalty available
under law to punish the perpetrators of these craven acts;
(8) it is important that Congress enact appropriate
legislation to ensure that Federal law enforcement has the
necessary tools to punish and deter these shameful, vile
acts, including the bipartisan legislation introduced by
Representatives Hyde and Conyers which would facilitate the
prosecution of persons responsible for these acts;
(9) the President is urged to make the fullest possible use
of all available law enforcement resources to bring the
culprits in these crimes to justice;
(10) Congress encourages the people of the United States to
work within their own communities to prevent arson against
African-American or any other house of worship; and
(11) Congress encourages American citizens to observe a
national week of prayer beginning June 16, 1996, and ending
June 23, 1996, in their churches, synagogues, mosques and
other places of worship for racial harmony, religious
tolerance and respect for the civil and human rights of all
Americans.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of today,
the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. Watts] and the gentlewoman from North
Carolina [Mrs. Clayton] each will control 25 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Watts.
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Myrick].
Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to stand here tonight in
support of this resolution, and I am very happy that the resolution is
coming forward. Back on the first of March some of us who are members
of the Family Caucus actually sent a letter to Attorney General Reno
asking her to take action and bring all resources to bear because we
knew that this problem existed, and so it is good that we are coming
together and there is a very strong interest in finding a solution to
the problem.
This is a bipartisan effort, which always is great to see when
everybody can work across all lines and come forward to share. We have
the gentleman from Illinois, Chairman Hyde, whose legislation is coming
on the floor next week, which will put some teeth into prosecution and
bring to justice the people who are doing these things. The gentleman
from Iowa [Mr. Lightfoot] came forward with an appropriations bill,
which is budget neutral, I might add, and that is going to help give
the resources to the ATF agents who work in the arson division. And I
will say from firsthand experience, unfortunately we had an incident in
my city last week, and they are dedicated, dedicated people who really
are shorthanded. So this is going to be a big help to them.
And then today, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Curt Weldon,
announced that the Fire Caucus and all the fire services and the
insurance agencies are coming together with a prevention effort that we
can all share in our districts and really get the word out there of
what people can do to try to prevent some of this.
So I commend both the gentlewoman from North Carolina, Eva Clayton,
and the gentleman from Oklahoma, J.C. Watts, for coming forward with
this resolution, and it sends a strong message that we are not going to
tolerate this anymore in our country. I do not care who these people
are or where they are from, this is totally inexcusable and it has to
stop.
I am embarrassed to say that North and South Carolina have had more
of these church burning incidents than any other geographical area or
State combined, and that is very depressing to me, but we do need to
come together not just at the congressional level, but we need to come
together locally.
The fourth aspect of this is that we really need to look toward
helping these communities rebuild. We are going to be rebuilding the
church in our area, and it is going to serve as a museum memorial to
the culture of the black church because this is something that people
really need to understand.
The whole community is doing it, it is a volunteer effort completely,
and I am challenging other communities to reach out and do the same.
They say you can burn the building, but you do not burn the church, and
I think we all know that.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Missouri [Mr. Gephardt], our distinguished minority leader.
(Mr. GEPHARDT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote
in a unanimous way for this resolution. I commend my friend the
gentlewoman from North Carolina [Eva Clayton] for working so hard to
bring this resolution to the floor. I commend my friend, the gentleman
from Oklahoma [Mr. Watts] for being a sponsor and being one who has
made this bipartisan.
There is no more dastardly act than burning a place of worship, and
the offense is even greater when racial hatred is involved, as it is in
many of these cases. It is very important tonight that all of us,
Republican, Democrat, from every part of this country, with one voice
say tonight that these acts are morally reprehensible and wrong and
must end.
I have no idea why these things are happening. I am sure none of the
rest of us do. I assume racial hatred and hatred lies at the core of
these acts. This had stopped and did not go on for years and years
because there was a sense in this society that this was inappropriate
behavior. Perhaps the dialog on some of our radio shows, or something,
is making it possible for people to believe that we can act out our
hatred by the violence that is represented in these acts.
The President has spoken out, and now it is entirely necessary and
appropriate that every Member of this body tonight say unequivocally to
the people of our country that these acts must end. And we will take
every action that is necessary in the days ahead to make sure that
whatever laws need to be changed are changed, to see that every person
who is responsible in any way for any of these burnings is brought
swiftly to justice.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friends for bringing this resolution, and I
urge every Member to raise their voice, not only tonight but in their
district and in their communities to stop these dastardly acts.
{time} 2130
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman].
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this
resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 187, expressing Congress'
outrage and my personal outrage at the burnings of over 30 African-
American churches throughout the southern United States. I commend the
sponsor of this measure, the distinguished gentleman
[[Page H6392]]
from Oklahoma [Mr. Watts] and the gentlelady from North Carolina [Mrs.
Clayton] for their efforts in introducing this important resolution.
Mr. Speaker, there is no more cowardly act than the desecration of
another's house of worship. It is an act perpetrated by bigots who use
the cover of night to burn a sacred place that so many in their
community hold dear. Our houses of worship are a significant part of
the glue that holds our sense of community together. When these gutless
individuals strike at the sanctuaries of our neighbors, they are
striking at the sanctity of our communities and the freedoms we all
enjoy under the first amendment to practice our religious beliefs.
My heart and sympathy go out to our African-American citizens and I
strongly encourage this body to enact the bipartisan legislation
introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde and ranking
member John Conyers to ensure that Federal law enforcement officials
have the requisite tools to investigate and vigorously prosecute those
who committed these abhorrent acts. In addition I encourage the Justice
Department, the Treasury Department, and the Attorney General to
expeditiously prosecute these cowards to the fullest extent of the law.
We must not stand by allowing this outrage to continue. Accordingly,
I urge my colleagues to support this worthy measure.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Payne], the chairman of the Black
Caucus.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman
from North Carolina and the gentleman from Oklahoma for bringing this
resolution to the floor.
Mr. Chairman, as Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, I rise
to express my outrage at the senseless desecration of African-American
churches and also to extend my sympathy to the ministers and their
congregations all over the country who have lost their places of
worship. Our thoughts are also with members of the other churches and
synagogues which have been defaced. These incidents of racial and
religious bigotry remind us of other painful episodes in our history
which we had hoped never reoccur.
Sadly the legacy of racial division is kept alive not only by those
who carry out these acts, but by others who crate an atmosphere which
not only tolerates but encourages bigotry. We can turn on our radio any
day of the week and hear right-wing talk radio hosts spewing forth
words of hatred to appeal to those in the audience who are discontented
with their lives and are looking for scapegoats.
In my area, the radio talk show host Bob Grant, who is courted by
some politicians, has built his career out of making offensive and
hurtful statements. He finally pushed things too far the day of the
tragic accident when the plan carrying Ron Brown and others went down.
On his radio show he said, upon learning that initially there was one
survivor, Bob Grant joked that his pessimism led him to believe that
the late Secretary may have survived.
Although this radio talk host was fired, he was immediately picked up
by another radio station. And we call this corporate responsibility?
The most recent church bombing in Oklahoma reminds us that these evil
incidents are not confined to the Southeast. The Department of Justice
has received reports of incidents in States like Maryland, where the
target was a Quaker meeting house; in my home State of New Jersey. We
have had them in Richmond; Seattle, Washington; and in other parts of
New York State this has occurred.
Mr. Speaker, we must stop these senseless burnings.
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Weldon].
(Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to revise
and extend his remarks.)
Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this
important piece of legislation, and thank the gentleman from Oklahoma
[Mr. Watts] and the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Clayton] for
offering this legislation.
I join in the outrage that is being expressed by Members of both
parties, liberals and conservatives, those from rural areas and those
from urban areas, about the devastation caused by these terrible and
outrageous fires.
As someone who got involved in public life first of all in the fire
service, when I served as volunteer five chief, I understand perhaps in
a way that many of us do not the impact of anyone suffering through the
tragedy of fire.
It is especially outrageous when it hits a place of worship, and all
of us must come together in this country and condemn it. We are here to
acknowledge that there has been a special focus on African-American
churches in the South, and that is especially outrageous.
I would also acknowledge, Mr. Chairman, there have been 80 churches
burned since January of this year, 30 that we know of in the South and
in black areas. But a number of them have not gone reported, but yet
have been turned in to the insurance corporation which services and
provides insurance for churches and synagogues across America.
Today we announced a major initiative, supported by a bipartisan
group of Members who are part of the Congressional Fire and Emergency
Services Caucus, to attack this problem in a different light. The focus
up until now has been on catching those hardened criminals who have
committed these acts, or those vandals, or those outrageous
individuals.
The problem we have, Mr. Speaker, is that that is very difficult. In
fact, the conviction rate for arson in this country is less than 2
percent. It is the toughest crime to convict someone unless someone
actually sees them lighting the match. So while it is important that we
look for the perpetrators, we must also realize it is especially
difficult.
What we announce today is the establishment of a trust fund that
would provide reward money for information leading to the arrest and
conviction of anyone that is convicted of the act of arson. But that is
not enough, because that is extremely difficult. What we announce
today, Mr. Chairman, is the ability for us to have a proactive effort
focusing on how to help churches across America prevent arsons from
occurring.
To that end we brought together the insurance industry, all the major
fire service groups: the International Association of Arson
Investigators, the paid firefighters, the volunteer firefighters, the
Black Professional Firefighters, the National Fire Protection
Association, the insurance industry, the American Insurance
Association, and the Insurance Committee for Arson Control, and we
announced a 3-part initiative that is declaring war on arson as it
relates to churches in this country, especially our black churches.
The initiative will take place through the offices of Members of
Congress and it is in three parts. First of all, it provides arson
prevention kits for every church in every Member's district that that
Member wants to send that packet to, any church or synagogue. It will
outline specific steps that can be taken locally to help reduce the
possibility for arson.
Secondarily, we will be offering free half-day seminars to any Member
of Congress that wants to establish a seminar for one half day for
clergymen, for deacons, for ministers, for rabbis to come together with
professionals who will be provided for free, to give those people
direct insight into arson and how they can prevent it.
The third part of this initiative, Mr. Speaker, allows for a
proactive effort to allow any church that so desires the contact their
Member, and they will be provided a free professional survey of their
church with specific recommendations that they can take to reduce the
likelihood of an arson fire occurring, at no cost to that church or its
congregation.
None of this is being funded by the Government. All of this is being
provided by those individuals in the arson investigation community and
the insurance industry who want to take proactive steps. It is in our
hands now as Members of Congress to implement these recommendations, to
coordinate these efforts, and to make sure there is follow through.
There is much that can be done to reduce the potential for arson, and
we must take the lead to make sure that that education is provided to
every church and synagogue in this country.
[[Page H6393]]
Together, Mr. Speaker, as Republicans and Democrats and liberals and
conservatives, as those representing rural and urban areas, we will
solve this problem, and we will send a signal that anyone who ever
contemplates the act of arson, especially at a religious institution,
is going to face the most severe consequences that this country can
bring to bear.
We are going to mobilize the communities of this country in a way
they have not been mobilized before to stop these despicable acts. I
thank my colleagues, and I urge support of this resolution.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Watt].
Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my
colleague from Oklahoma and my colleague from North Carolina for
bringing this resolution forward.
I tell my colleagues that I worshiped on Sunday in the church that
burned in Charlotte, NC, and I want to lift up two quick messages from
the minister's speech that day. He said unequivocally to the people who
are doing these burnings, ``You can destroy the building, but you
cannot destroy the church.''
Second, he said to his members, ``We have got to find a way to find
the good in this and to rise above this and to maintain the values that
we hold dear.''
I hope all of us will keep those two things in mind as we condemn
these church burnings and as we all vote, hopefully unanimously, in
support of this resolution.
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon].
(Mr. SOLOMON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Oklahoma for
bringing this resolution in a timely manner to this floor.
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Wamp].
Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, of course we should all come together tonight
and unanimously condemn these outrageous acts. But I want to come
tonight from a little bit different perspective because, Mr. Speaker,
long before I was a Member of this body, I was a member of a much
greater body, and long after I am a Member of this body, I am going to
continue to be a member of a much greater and everlasting body.
I hope that our gentleman from North Carolina is right that some good
can come out of this, and I hope to my core that this serves as a
wakeup call to the church, to all churches everywhere, that this could
be an opportunity for the church to do its work, to build the kingdom
of God; that our brothers and sisters in the predominantly white
churches would come out of their churches between now and Sunday and
between now and next Wednesday and offer to rebuild these churches;
that this would be an opportunity for the kingdom of God to come alive
here, that some good could come out, that our brothers and sisters all
across the land would offer their support.
I hear today that the Southern Baptist Convention took a step, but
many more need to be taken to have some good come from this, that the
kingdom would be lifted up, that we would go out as churches and offer
to rebuild these churches, and that good would actually rise out of
these ashes.
The most important word in the world today, that is needed so
desperately in this country, is reconciliation. This is an opportunity
for reconciliation. This is an opportunity for white folks to say, ``We
love you, black brothers and sisters, and we want to help you, and we
hurt for you.'' Please country, come together.
Mr. Speaker, I call on people of faith all across America to get out
of your church, take your resources. If ever there was a mission
project for churches and religious institutions all across the United
States of America, this is the mission project that could heal our
land. Let us reconcile as a Nation, Mr. Speaker, through this one
action, and have some good rise from these horrific acts.
____________________