[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TIME TO CRACK DOWN ON GANGS

  (Mr. LAMPSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I stand before the House for the first time 
today, and I must admit I feel much like I did the first time that I 
stood before a classroom full of students at Forest Park High School in 
Beaumont, TX: A little nervous and awed by the responsibility.
  I recently received a letter from a grandmother in Port Arthur, TX. 
Her 18-year-old grandson is making good grades and wants to graduate 
from high school, but he is being harassed by a gang. In fact, this 
young man has been shot at recently. His grandmother tells me that the 
gang members continue to follow him and continue to threaten his life.
  Last night the President was absolutely correct when he recognized 
that we cannot expect our kids to learn when they are not safe. To me, 
school yards become the domain of gangs when the bell rings at the end 
of the day. We have seen the epidemic of violent, juvenile crime spread 
from the poorest inner cities to middle class suburbs and small towns.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope this Congress will join the President in his 
promise to crack down on gangs. Too many defenseless families are 
counting on us.

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