[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 345]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2001

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the need for 
hate crimes legislation. In the last congress, Senator Kennedy and I 
introduced the Local Law Enforcement 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.
  I would like to describe a terrible crime that occurred on November 
3, 2002, in Atlanta, GA. Gregory Love, a junior at Morehouse College, 
was beaten with a baseball bat in a college shower. He was treated at a 
local hospital where doctors removed a blood clot from the lining of 
his brain. The assailant, Aaron Price, a sophomore, admitted to the 
beating and will be charged with a hate crime based on his perception 
of the victim's sexual orientation.
  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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