[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 78 (Tuesday, June 16, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6428-S6429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MR. HERMAN C. WRICE

 Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
outstanding drug and crime fighting efforts of Mr. Herman C. Wrice.
  Mr. Wrice, once called the ``John Wayne of Philadelphia'' by 
President Bush, is one of today's most effective non-violent community 
activists. His grassroots approach to cracking down on drugs and crime 
has been successful in cities, towns, and Indian reservations across 
the country. Herman's career as a social activist began in the late 
1960's after a personal tragedy; his wife, Jean, was caught in gang 
crossfire at a local supermarket.
  Mr. Wrice's organization, Turn Around America, unites ordinary 
citizens and police who are determined to take back their 
neighborhoods. They organize street marches and all-night vigils at 
identified drug houses to separate drug dealers from their customers.

[[Page S6429]]

 This partnership depends on trust, cooperation, and mutual respect. 
Citizen efforts enhance, but do not replace, law enforcement efforts. I 
am pleased to say that Turn Around America has yielded impressive 
results. In neighborhoods where demonstrations have taken place, crack 
houses have closed. Children play in parks that were once littered with 
drug paraphernalia. The number of drug-related arrests have risen, 
several of which were directly linked to citizen involvement. Even 
veteran police officers have been inspired by Herman's anti-drug 
crusade.
  Mr. Wrice's relentless efforts to fight crime and violence have 
received wide-spread attention. Villanova University honored him with 
an honorary doctorate degree for his activism. His programs have been 
described in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the 
New York Times, Readers Digest, Policy Review, and Philadelphia 
Magazine. Mr. Wrice and his anti-crime program were even featured on 60 
Minutes. This exposure led to requests for training from over 200 
cities and towns across the country. In 1994, Herman was one of six 
activists to receive an America's Award for Courage during special 
ceremonies at the Kennedy Center. The following year, he was named a 
Join Together Fellow by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. On a local 
level, Herman has been a two-time recipient of the Mayor's Outstanding 
Citizen Award, and a three time honoree as the Junior Chamber's 
Outstanding Young Man of the Year. Finally, he has received the Freedom 
Foundation's Citizenship Award, the NAACP Unsung Hero's Award, and was 
named the Citizen Crime Commission's Crime Fighter of the Year.
  Mr. President, Herman C. Wrice is a man with a purpose. He has 
dedicated his life to community service, and he has made a difference. 
He has worked to make the streets safe for neighborhood children, and 
he has raised 17 of his own--11 of whom were adopted. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Wrice and in extending the 
Senate's best wishes to his family.

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