[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4475]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO LAWRENCE SELLERS

 Mr. KIRK. Madam President, on the afternoon of January 29, 
2013, Lawrence D. Sellers, Jr. and his friends were relaxing in 
Chicago's Vivian Gordon Harsh Park after finishing their high school 
final exams. Shots rang out. Lawrence pushed his girlfriend out of 
harm's way. A bullet struck his left leg below the calf. And as the 
group tried to run away, Lawrence heard a scream and turned around to 
see his friend, Hadiya Pendleton, falling to the ground.
  Hadiya's murder has become a rallying cry in Chicago to give law 
enforcement the tools they need to reduce gang and gun violence. I 
remain committed to passing legislation that bears her name to stop the 
straw purchasing and trafficking of guns that can end up in the hands 
of dangerous gangs like the Gangster Disciples. I will continue working 
with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Garry 
McCarthy to ensure additional Federal resources are promptly delivered 
to implement a holistic, all-of-government strategy to make our 
communities safer.
  But today I wish to recognize Lawrence for his bravery and heroism--
because inside this tragedy, we can find a spark of hope to restore our 
faith in what is possible when good people are not afraid to do the 
right thing. Lawrence is that spark.
  A senior at King College Prep in North Kenwood with aspirations of 
becoming a math teacher, Lawrence is an Eagle Scout, and, just last 
month, he received the Honor Medal from the Boy Scouts of America.
  ``Doing the right thing, you shouldn't get an award for it,'' 
Lawrence said with great humility. ``But I am honored to receive it, of 
course; I just feel like it's just the right thing.''
  In a community torn apart by gang violence, it is not always easy to 
do the right thing--or to always know what the right thing is in the 
first place. That is what makes groups like the Boy Scouts and other 
community youth groups so important in a holistic antigang violence 
strategy.
  I am proud to join the Boy Scouts of America in honoring Lawrence 
Sellers. Lawrence is a role model to his peers and a reminder that 
supporting civic-minded youth organizations like the Boy Scouts must be 
a part of our antiviolence, antigang strategy.

                          ____________________