[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 21124]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2003

  Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I speak today about the need for hate 
crimes legislation. On May 1, 2003, Senator Kennedy and I introduced 
the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement 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 Newark, 
CA. On October 3, 2002, several men became enraged after learning that 
a young woman was actually a 17-year-old boy at their party. The men 
punched Eddie ``Gwen'' Araujo, dragged him into the garage and 
strangled him with a piece of rope. Eddie's body was then wrapped in a 
sheet and buried in a shallow grave near Placerville, about 150 miles 
from his family's home in Newark.
  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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