[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 28189]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING GALESBURG, ILLINOIS

  (Mr. HARE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay honor to my hometown, the 
city of Galesburg, IL, for publicly speaking out against hate crimes. 
Galesburg has a rich tradition of promoting equality for all of its 
citizens. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad and home to the 
first anti-slavery society in the State of Illinois.
  Mayor Gary Smith recently declared October Not in Our Town Month, an 
effort to combat violent, bias-motivated crimes designed to cause fear 
and intimidation among an entire group of people.
  The Not in Our Town Month proclamation states, ``Hate groups shall 
not divide communities.'' It also urges the residents of Galesburg to 
``join together to eliminate racism and violence and to declare that 
respect, equality and freedom for all people be our goal.''
  Crimes based on prejudice are a poor reflection on our communities, 
and I congratulate Galesburg for refusing to stand by in silence.

                          ____________________