[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 85 (Thursday, May 22, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S4779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING SEAN KENNEDY

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today in remembrance of a young man 
whose life was cut short because of a tragic crime--a hate crime. I 
came to the Senate floor, 1 year ago today, to speak about a vicious 
attack that killed Sean Kennedy on May 16, 2007. He was just 20 years 
old. As I have done countless times in the past, I have again come to 
the floor to highlight the needless deaths of hate crimes' victims and 
the need to enact Federal hate crimes legislation.
  Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to Sean Kennedy's mother 
Elke Kennedy. I had heard that Elke had read about her son in the 
Congressional Record and was grateful that someone had recognized his 
death and understood the need for hate crimes legislation. For every 
victim of a hate crime, many more family members and friends are 
impacted by the tragic loss. While I know the pain of losing a son, I 
can only imagine the grief Elke must have felt when someone took the 
life of her son simply for who he was. As a nation, what do we say to 
Elke and other family members who have lost a loved one to a hate 
crime? What salve do we have to offer them for their pain? I believe we 
could start by passing Federal hate crimes legislation to demonstrate 
our national commitment to ending bias-motivated crimes.
  No parent should have to fear for their child's safety because of 
their sexual orientation and because our laws do not adequately protect 
them. It is the Government's first duty to defend its citizens, to 
defend them against the harms that come out of hate. Federal and State 
laws intended to protect individuals from heinous and violent crimes 
motivated by hate are woefully inadequate. Sean's death is an 
unfortunate reminder of this fact.
  The Matthew Shepard Act would better equip the Government to fulfill 
its most important obligation by protecting new groups of people as 
well as better protecting citizens already covered under deficient 
laws. I believe that by passing this legislation and changing current 
law, we can lessen the very impact of hate on our society. Moreover, 
for parents like Elke Kennedy and Judy Shepard, Matthew's mother, it 
will finally prove that their sons' deaths were not in vain.

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