[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3600-3601]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        THE MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT

  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 strengthen and 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 the night of February 22, 2008, 17-year-old Simmie Lewis Williams, 
Jr., was gunned down in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, FL. The 
shooting occurred on a stretch of road known by police to be frequented 
by transvestites. Simmie, openly gay, had been dressed as a woman the 
night of his murder. He was known for being soft-spoken and kind. 
Witnesses say that Simmie became engaged in a heated argument with two 
men dressed in dark

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clothing before the shots were fired. Simmie's mother buried her son a 
week later. The funeral was, in part, paid for by members of the local 
gay community. Police are considering the murder as a bias-motivated 
crime.
  I believe that the Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, 
to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. Federal laws 
intended to protect individuals from heinous and violent crimes 
motivated by hate are woefully inadequate. This legislation would 
better equip the Government to fulfill its most important obligation by 
protecting new groups of people as well as better protecting citizens 
already covered under deficient laws. I believe that by passing this 
legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as 
well.

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