[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              HATE CRIMES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JULIA CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 14, 1998

  Ms. CARSON. I rise, Mr. Speaker, to make a point, all apart from the 
self-righteous rancor of our recent debates before we go out from here 
to our homes across the land. I am concerned about some recent horrors 
in our country, frightening to Americans of decency everywhere. I rise 
because I think there is something we can do and because this is the 
time to start doing it.
  This year, we have seen horrific hate crimes committed against 
innocent men. One man in Texas was brutally dragged behind a pickup 
truck to his death merely because of the color of his skin.
  Another young man was savagely beaten to death in Wyoming because of 
his sexual orientation. This was the third attack he had suffered in 
recent months because of his orientation.
  The FBI reported 7,947 hate crimes in 1995, and 11,039 in 1996. The 
vast majority of these crimes were based on racial prejudice. Only 33 
of these cases were prosecuted by the Justice Department under existing 
hate crime laws. However, we also know that hate attacks are 
chronically under-reported by victims and law enforcement agencies. 
Attacks like the one in Wyoming are probably more widespread than we 
know.
  We must do more to prevent these kinds of outrages.
  I have cosponsored legislation, HR 3043, to require colleges and 
universities to collect and report statistics concerning the occurrence 
on campus of crimes arising from prejudice based on race, gender, 
religion, sexual orientation or disability.
  I also have cosponsored HR 3081, which would strengthen criminal 
penalties of those who commit violent hate crimes.
  Many states, including Wyoming, do not even have hate crime laws on 
the books. My own state of Indiana has no penalties on the books aimed 
at preventing hate crimes.
  These states need to act to do whatever they can to prevent crimes of 
hate.
  Here in Congress, let us dedicate ourselves to passing strong anti-
hate crimes legislation before we adjourn this year.
  We in Congress and the states must do what we can to focus such 
attention on hate crimes that it may never be said that we did not act 
to help to prevent this great national shame.

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