[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18115]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT OF 2007

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today 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 to 
highlight a separate hate crime that has occurred in our country.
  On July 1, 2007, while picnicking near Lake Natoma outside Folsom, 
CA, Satendar Singh, a 26-year-old from Fiji, was attacked by a man 
hurling racist and homophobic insults. Singh and his friends, each of 
either Indian or Fijian descent, were harassed repeatedly for several 
hours by a nearby group of Russian-speaking men and women. That 
evening, about six men from that group approached Singh, again 
insulting Singh and his friends. One of the men struck Singh, causing 
him to fall to the ground and hit his head. Bleeding profusely, Singh 
was taken to the hospital. He died 4 days later on July 5, 2007, after 
his relatives and doctors agreed to take him off of life support. 
According to his friends, Singh was not gay, but officials maintain 
that the attack was motivated by the belief on the part of the 
assailant that he was.
  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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