[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 74 (Monday, May 19, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S6620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   LCOAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2003

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the need 
for hate crimes legislation. On May 1, 2003, 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 in Aloha, OR. 
On August 26, 2001, Lorenzo ``Loni Kai'' Okaruru was found dead in an 
overgrown field with her face smashed in and her fingertips cut off. A 
biological male born 28 years before in Saipan, Okaruru, Loni began 
living as a woman before she had migrated to Oregon. Given the savagery 
of the attack--a telltale sign of a probable hate crime--local police 
counted Loni's murder as the first official hate crime in the county's 
history.
  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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