[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 27 (Thursday, February 13, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S2446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2001

  Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I rise today to speak about the need for 
hate crimes legislation. In the last Congress Senator Kennedy and I 
introduced the Local Law Enforcement Act, a bill that would add new 
categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence 
of any kind is unacceptable in our society.
  I would like to describe a terrible crime that occurred March 9, 2002 
in Huntington Beach, CA. Aris Gaddvang, 25, a Filipino-American store 
manager, was beaten in a parking lot. The attackers, three teenagers, 
shouted racial slurs and ``white power'' before beating Gaddvang with 
metal pipes. After the attack, Gaddvang said he received a phone call 
from someone who identified himself as one of the attackers. Gaddvang 
said that the caller used racial slurs and threatened him.
  I believe that government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to 
defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Local Law 
Enforcement Enhancement Act is a symbol that can become substance. I 
believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we 
can change hearts and minds as well.

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