[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 135 (Thursday, September 8, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H5201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     GUN VIOLENCE IN NEW YORK CITY

  (Mr. MEEKS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, Tiarah Poyau was young and full of life, like 
my daughters. She was the same age as many of the interns in my office. 
Like them, she had big dreams and she was full of promise. She 
completed her bachelor of science at St. John's University in my 
district and was pursuing a master's degree. She dreamt of being an 
accountant.
  At 22, she had the promise of being a successful young woman and an 
outstanding and upstanding member of society. But those dreams and that 
promise, they ended this past weekend. They ended when Tiarah's life 
was cut short by a bullet in New York City.
  That same night, less than a block away from where she was shot, 17-
year-old Tyreke Borel was gunned down--less than a block away.
  Behind every gun death is a person like Tiarah and Tyreke, a person 
with dreams and with promise. These victims of gun violence and their 
families and friends have received thoughts and prayers from this 
Congress, but because of the Republican majority, they haven't received 
action.
  Victims and their loved ones deserve better. They deserve a debate 
and a vote on commonsense gun reform on the House floor.
  In this Nation, we encourage our kids to dream big. We tell them that 
with hard work, they can transform their potential into success. We let 
them down if we fail to protect them, and so far, that is exactly what 
we have done.

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