[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 13, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H928-H929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE MEMORY OF DEREK BRIAN JOHNSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DENT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Derek 
Brian Johnson and the efforts of his father, Robert Johnson, a resident 
of Easton, Pennsylvania, to seek justice for his son.
  Derek Brian Johnson was only 32 when he died. He worked as an 
Internet security manager. He enjoyed singing, skydiving and motorcycle 
racing. He was passionate in his support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 
He also loved music and bands. And it was this last love that 
ultimately cost him his life.
  On February 20, 2003, nearly 5 years ago, Derek went to a club called 
The Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island, to hear a band called Great 
White. The club was jammed that night with patrons. As the show ensued, 
tour manager Daniel Biechele set off a pyrotechnic display that was 
part of the band's floor show. The display ignited the building's 
soundproofing foam.
  The Station went up like kindling. People rushed for the exits, and 
panic ensued. Many were crushed as the crowd stampeded to get out of 
the burning building. In the end, 100 people died that night at The 
Station, including Derek Johnson.
  Ultimately Biechele and club owners Jeffrey Derderian and Michael 
Derderian were charged with manslaughter as a result of the fire and 
ensuing deaths. And there began my constituent, Robert Johnson's, quest 
to find justice for his son, a search that from his point of view has 
not been at all fruitful.
  First, there was the matter of the club itself. There were more 
people in the club than there should have been. The Station had no 
sprinkler system, which would have prevented, or at least minimized, 
the conflagration. And the soundproofing foam was not treated with 
flame retardant materials.
  Second, there were the court proceedings. Biechele pled guilty to 100 
counts of manslaughter. He could have gotten 10 years to serve under a 
plea agreement that Bob claims he did not know about. The judge gave 
Biechele 15 years but suspended all but 4. Michael Derderian was 
allowed to plead no contest to 100 counts of manslaughter pursuant to a 
plea agreement. He too only received 4 years to serve.
  Finally, there were the parole hearings. Even though both of these 
men were responsible for the deaths of 100 people, the State parole 
board in Rhode Island has decided to release them.
  I have to say that I agree with Bob Johnson when he tells me that 
serving less than 4 years after being found legally responsible for so 
much carnage hardly seems just. I commend Robert Johnson for the hard 
work he has put

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forth to find justice for his son and for the other victims of The 
Station nightclub fire. I know that the memory of Derek Brian Johnson 
will live on in his father's heart forever, and I applaud his efforts 
to soldier on on behalf of a man who was taken from us all too soon.

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