[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 164 (Wednesday, November 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S14795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   LOCAL 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 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 would like to describe one such crime today. At a well-known 
Atlanta college, Aaron Price left a dormitory bathroom after suspecting 
that one of his classmates had made an unwanted sexually suggestive 
gesture toward him. Mr. Price returned to the bathroom, with a baseball 
bat from his bedroom closet, and proceeded to beat his classmate in the 
head. Mr. Price did not stop until he had fractured the student's 
skull, chipped many of his teeth, and caused a life-threatening blood 
clot to develop in his classmate's brain.
  Also, I would like to recall two crimes that occurred in a 90-minute 
span on September 2, 1998, in Huntington, WV. There, two men were 
berated with anti-gay slurs, then beaten by the same trio of attackers. 
The first of the two anti-gay attacks occurred as a 31-year-old New 
Jersey man, who was headed to the PATH train from a local bar, was 
attacked by three men. The man was kicked and punched, then thrown down 
a flight of stairs.
  The victim of the second attack was a 48-year-old man who left a 
different bar. He was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground by 
three men fitting the description given by the first victim. The men 
made anti-gay remarks, then took his wallet. One of the men pulled out 
a knife, and the victim suffered a cut on his arm and a broken wrist 
during the fight. Police believe the two victims were targeted because 
they are gay.
  In conclusion, I would like to describe a terrible crime today. Guinn 
``Richie'' Phillips of Rineyville, KY, disappeared on June 17, 2003. 
His body was found one week later. Josh Cottrell, the man accused of 
the murder, is believed to have killed the victim because he dislikes 
homosexuals. Mr. Cottrell had earlier told his aunt and cousin that he 
planned to kill Mr. Phillips after Mr. Phillips made an unwanted 
advance in a local hotel. Mr. Cottrell allegedly strangled Mr. Phillips 
and stuffed his body into a suitcase, later dropping it in a lake.
  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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