[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 44 (Tuesday, April 15, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN COMMEMORATION OF NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS WEEK

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                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 15, 1997

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, far too often, the criminals who terrorize 
our society are glorified through massive media attention, while the 
rights of the victims and the general public who are made to suffer and 
live in fear are virtually ignored. While the rights of these 
destructive individuals are scrupulously and vigilantly guarded, the 
rights of those whose lives they devastate fall by the wayside.
  This travesty is the focus of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, 
which falls this year on April 13-19. During this week, organizations 
such as the Capital District Coalition for Crime Victims' Rights, are 
focusing their efforts on bringing maximum public attention to the many 
trials and tribulations faced by the victims of crime in America. On 
April 14, the Capital District Coalition dedicated a plaque at the site 
of a tree planted last year in commemoration of all the victims and 
survivors of crime in Saratoga County, NY, in my congressional 
district. Events such as this are critical in the effort to raise 
awareness of the impact of crime on its victims and their families. I 
sympathize immensely with the heartbreak suffered by those whose lives 
are permanently altered by the devastating effects of crime, and who 
then must sit by while they are often either ignored or victimized even 
more by the justice system. We in Congress are trying to do our part to 
remedy this shameful situation by enacting legislation such as the 
Victims' Rights Act of 1995, but it is the tireless efforts of 
individuals and organizations who devote countless amounts of their 
time and effort that will ensure that the crisis in victims' rights 
takes its rightful place at the forefront of the media's attention.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to rise in recognition of National 
Crime Victims' Awareness Week. Hopefully, through this designation and 
the work of crime victims' rights organizations nationwide, victims of 
crime in America will receive the respect and consideration to which 
they and their rights are entitled.

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