[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         THE DAILY 45: ATHENS, CALIFORNIA SETS MURDER MILESTONE

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                           HON. BOBBY L. RUSH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2008

  Mr. RUSH. Madam Speaker, the Department of Justice tells us that, 
everyday, 45 people, on average, are fatally shot in the United States. 
At a time when millions of homeowners are facing daunting challenges 
associated with the economic meltdown of the housing market, last 
Sunday, homeowners and residents of Athens, California were facing a 
crisis of a different sort. On Sept. 21, when a still unidentified man 
was shot to death, his loss of life marked the 14th gun-related 
incident, and the eighth gun-related death, in this community alone!
  This latest victim, an African American man, had a life, a family 
and, I'm sure, someone who loved him. I grieve for him and the veil of 
violence that neither Athens nor any other American city should have to 
endure.
  Americans of conscious must come together to stop the senseless death 
of ``The Daily 45.'' When will we say, `Enough is enough, stop the 
killing!'

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