[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16952]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2003

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I speak about the need for hate 
crimes legislation. On May 1, 2003, 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 in West 
Chester, OH. On September 11, 2001, a member of the West Chester's 
Islamic Center was brutally attacked in the mosque's parking lot. After 
the beating, members of the Islamic Center received a series of 
physical threats and the mosque was forced to close its doors.
  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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