[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 148 (Friday, November 15, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DAWSON FAMILY TRAGEDY

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                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay homage to our fallen ``Front 
Line Soldiers''. The soldiers that I speak of did not die thousands of 
miles away from our shores in a foreign land; they were executed in 
their own home as they slept. These soldiers were not trained in 
military combat or armed with the latest weapons technology can devise; 
they fought a life and death battle armed only with a strong voice and 
a determination that they would not surrender. If the City of Baltimore 
were to erect a monument to all the innocent lives lost because of the 
proliferation of drug violence in our community, tragically the most 
recent names to be added would be Carnell and Angela Dawson, along with 
their children; Keith and Kevin Dawson (9 year old twins); Carnell 
Dawson Jr., 10; Juan Ortiz, 12 and LaWanda Ortiz, 14.
  On October 16th, while this family slept, a cold-blooded killer 
entered their home, spread gasoline throughout, and ignited a blaze 
that swept through the house in a few short minutes. Reportedly, this 
was done in retribution for the repeated efforts of Mrs. Dawson to stop 
these dealers from selling drugs in front of her home, in plain view of 
her young children. That night, Mrs. Dawson and five of her six 
children lost their lives. Mr. Dawson battled hard but perished a week 
later from the bums covering 80 percent of his body. We can not, and we 
will not walk away from the horrific acts of such cold-blooded killers.
  Mr. Speaker, this Congress must take action to give the people of 
Baltimore and people around this country the tools they need to combat 
the proliferation of drug related violence in our communities.
  As the Ranking Member on the House Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and 
Human Resources Subcommittee I am especially wounded that such a 
barbaric act could occur within a city in my own district. I will do 
everything in my power to ensure that the effort to fight terrorism 
does not drain the fight against drug terror at home. Baltimore City 
Mayor Martin O'Malley and Police Chief Ed Norris have used their 
limited resources to make a positive effect on reducing drug-related 
crimes in the city of Baltimore. With the help of citizens, the mayor 
and the police chief have achieved a 23 percent reduction in violent 
crime in just a few short years. Federal agencies also report that 
Baltimore City has achieved the largest reduction in drug-related 
emergency room admissions of any major city in America. However, the 
plague of drug abuse is not a local problem or a problem limited to 
people of color; it is a national problem that demands a federal 
response.
  National statistics shows that this problem is not limited to 
Baltimore City. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that in 1998 
an estimated 61,000 convicted jail inmates said they had committed 
their offenses to get money for drugs. The cost-effects of these 
statistics on Baltimore City and other communities throughout this 
nation are incalculable. That is why I am encouraged by the swift and 
decisive actions taken by Director John P. Walters of the Office of 
National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to arm our domestic front line 
soldiers with the tools they need to combat the bane of our 
communities.
  I joined Director Walters on Oct. 23 of this year, as he announced 
the federal government response to this tragedy. Effective immediately, 
ONDCP will redirect existing funding resources within the Washington-
Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (HIDTA) to 
better protect specified high-crime neighborhoods in Baltimore City. 
The federal funds will help to pay the cost of additional foot patrols, 
police overtime pay, surveillance cameras and improved street lighting. 
This is only a down payment on the debt owed to the Dawson family and 
the many other families around this nation who are the domestic front 
line soldiers in what some residents of Baltimore call ``a killing 
ground.''
  More will be done; more must be done to protect families living in 
communities of fear. Drug gangs cannot be allowed to rule our court 
system through intimidation. Children should not fear stray bullets as 
they sit in front of their homes. Families await a day when they can 
sleep soundly knowing that the drug gangs are no longer lurking within 
their community. Baltimore City's fight against these drug gangs is not 
a war America can afford to ignore; and retreat is not an option.

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