[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 72 (Thursday, May 20, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S5940]
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.
  On June 1, 2000, Gary William Mick, 25, pleaded guilty to first-
degree murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery after admitting that 
he murdered a gay man and tried to kill another because he believed gay 
men were ``evil.'' In the first attack, a New Jersey man was bludgeoned 
to death with a claw hammer. Mick met his second victim, a dentist, at 
a bar. There, he had dinner with him and went home with him. Mick later 
attacked the man with a knife, a struggle ensued, and the victim 
escaped. Mick told police that a childhood incident caused him to hate 
homosexuals.
  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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