[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 153 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S9478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT OF 2007

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I wish to speak about the need for hate 
crimes legislation. Each Congress, Senator Kennedy and I introduce hate 
crimes legislation that would add new categories to current hate crimes 
law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our 
society. Likewise, each Congress I have come to the floor on many 
occasions to highlight a separate violent, hate-motivated crime that 
has occurred in our country.
  On the evening of August 9, 2008, 24-year-old Michael Roike was 
leaving the Playbill Cafe a Washington, DC, area bar with three of his 
friends when they noticed an SUV parked next door nearby. The SUV 
carried several men who reportedly spoke with Roike and his friends. 
The conversation allegedly began casually but escalated when the men 
from the SUV repeatedly used the word ``faggot.'' One of Roike's 
friends, Stevon-Christophe Burrell, 29, allegedly became upset and 
asked the men to leave them alone. In response, a male from the SUV 
reportedly approached Burrell aggressively. Roike said he stepped 
between them and tried to diffuse the situation, but Roike recounts 
that he suddenly felt pain in the left side of his head and hit the 
ground. Burrell was also struck before the attackers fled back to the 
vehicle and drove away. While no suspects have been apprehended, the 
Metropolitan Police Department report lists the attack as a ''simple 
assault,'' filing it as a hate crime based on sexual orientation.
  I believe that the Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, 
to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Matthew 
Shepard 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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