[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    FIGHTING HATE CRIMES IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise on the 
floor of the House this afternoon.
  Two weeks ago in my California district, which includes Santa 
Barbara, a 37-year-old man named Clinton Scott Risetter was brutally 
murdered, burned to death in his bed. Such a killing would be tragic 
under any circumstances. Yet this is particularly painful because Mr. 
Risetter was murdered because he was a homosexual. Let me say that even 
in a community as tolerant as Santa Barbara, intolerance still has an 
ugly and evil face.
  I am heartened by much of what has transpired since the tragic 
incident. I am proud that local law enforcement agencies have responded 
swiftly and thoroughly. The police department and district attorney are 
working closely with the community, including gay rights organizations, 
for which I am pleased and very grateful. But I also believe that we 
must confront the ugly specter of hate crimes on a national, as well as 
a local, level.
  Last year at this time, an important bill was introduced in the 
House, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This bill, sponsored by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), would strengthen the Federal 
response to hate crime violence which is motivated by race, color, 
religion, or national origin. It would also expand the law to cover 
hate crimes committed against people because of their gender, sexual 
orientation, or disability, as well as to expand Federal jurisdiction 
to cover the most violent of these hate crimes.
  As it stands now, Federal authorities cannot act on cases involving 
death or serious bodily injury based on gender, sexual orientation, or 
disability when local law enforcement is not available. Now fortunately 
this does not impact the case in Santa Barbara; but even so, many 
people throughout the country are left without any chance for justice 
when their own States fail to act.
  So I am pleased that Santa Barbara has, as a community, responded 
with outrage and compassion to this recent event, the vicious hate 
crime which has occurred there. But as a society we must continue to 
confront what lies at the root of these horrendous hate crimes, and 
that is where our Federal legislation comes in and why it is so very 
important.
  The Hate Crimes Prevention Act would provide communities with 
important prevention tools, including grants to State and local 
programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles and 
training for local law enforcement officers in investigating, 
prosecuting, and preventing hate crimes altogether.
  We cannot ignore the facts. Since 1996, hate crimes committed against 
individuals based on sexual orientation have increased nearly 28 
percent. I will not remain silent on this issue. I am compelled to do 
whatever I can to prevent another hostile and tragic act on anyone 
because of his or her sexual orientation.
  In a post-September 11 society, where tolerance and acceptance are 
strongly encouraged and promoted by our government and local 
communities, these types of crimes must not go unpunished or 
unexplored. Let us make the Hate Crimes Prevention Act a reality. Let 
us make a true commitment to every American citizen, be they gay or 
straight, Muslim, Christian, white, black, Hispanic or Asian. It should 
not take a brutal murder to jar the Congress out of acting out of 
common sense and basic human decency. It is too late to save the life 
of Mr. Risetter, but it is not too late to take the kind of action 
which will honor his memory.

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