[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5259]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it is with a heavy heart that I report that 
a victim of a hate crime in the city of Detroit died 10 days after the 
brutal incident.
  Andrew Anthos was an extraordinary citizen with a passion for 
community service. During the last 20 years, Mr. Anthos repeatedly 
traveled by bus from Detroit to Lansing with a singular purpose, to 
urge the Michigan capital's dome be illuminated in red, white and blue, 
to honor his country.
  Mr. Anthos wrote me last year to inform me of his efforts. As he put 
it, he wanted Michigan to be ``the first State to inaugurate this 
patriotic tribute to its loyal citizens.'' He had support from many in 
the State, and had hoped for dedication lighting during Michigan Week, 
which will occur in May of this year, when Michigan would celebrate its 
170th anniversary as our 26th State.
  On the evening of February 13, 2007, Mr. Anthos was riding a bus home 
from the Detroit Public Library. A passenger on the bus yelled at him 
and asked if he was gay. The man then followed him off the bus, where 
Mr. Anthos was helping a wheelchair bound friend off of the bus. The 
assailant then struck Anthos in the back with a metal pipe, leaving him 
critically injured, lying in the snow.
  The man left, without any effort to rob Mr. Anthos. This clearly was 
a hate crime, where Anthos was targeted because of his sexual 
orientation. Mr. Anthos tragically was left paralyzed from the neck 
down, before he slipped into a 10-day coma. He passed away on February 
23, 2007. His killer has yet to be found.
  Unfortunately, Andrew Anthos has not been the only victim of a hate 
crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's latest statistics tell us 
that over 8,800 individuals were the victim of a hate crime in 2005. 
4,900 of these crimes were racially motivated, while 1,200 were based 
on sexual orientation. Many of these crimes resulted in death or 
serious bodily harm.
  No one should be targeted because of the color of their skin, their 
religion, their gender or their sexual orientation. We have an 
obligation to make America a fully inclusive nation, a country that 
does not tolerate bias, discrimination or bigotry.
  Next week, as an original cosponsor, I will join Senators Kennedy and 
Smith in introducing the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention 
Act. This bill will, for the first time, expand the definition of a 
hate crime to include gender, gender identity, disability, and sexual 
orientation. It will also allow the Federal Government to assist local 
law enforcement in investigation of hate crimes.
  We should condemn and act against the hate crimes that have plagued 
our Nation and have had such a devastating impact on Andrew Anthos, and 
thousands of others and their families. I hope the Senate will take 
swift action to enact the Kennedy-Smith bill.
  In addition, I hope that State governments will strengthen their own 
hate crime statutes to combat this growing trend. Andrew Anthos gave so 
much to our community, and it is essential that we give back to his 
memory by doing everything we can to reduce the incidence of these 
crimes.

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