[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 154 (Wednesday, October 29, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S13509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2003

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I speak about the need for hate crimes 
legislation. On May 1, 2003, Senator Kennedy and I introduced the Local 
Law Enforcement Enhancement 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 describe a sad and reprehensible display of intimidation that took 
place in Peoria, IL, on July 6, 2001. That day, Forest Hatley and 
Charles Lambert decided to burn a cross at a home in Macomb, IL, where 
an interracial couple lived. The two men constructed a 7-foot by 3-foot 
cross and doused it with gasoline. Shortly after midnight, the two men 
transported the cross to the victims' yard, planted it in front of the 
home, and ignited it. Lambert and Hatley each admitted this action was 
taken to intimidate the couple because of the male's race and because 
he was living with a person of another race.
  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. By 
passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts 
and minds as well.

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