[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
[April 14, 2000]
[Page 716]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Signing Legislation Designating the Joseph Ileto Post 
Office
April 14, 2000

    Today I signed legislation designating the United States Post Office 
located at 14701 Peyton Drive in Chino Hills, California, as the 
``Joseph Ileto Post Office.'' Joseph Ileto was a Filipino-American 
postal worker who was tragically murdered last year in a crime of hate. 
He was a dedicated public servant, killed simply because he was an 
Asian-American who worked for his country's Government. It is a fitting 
tribute to the life and memory of Mr. Ileto that we name this Post 
Office in his honor.
    During the last year, we have all been shaken by violent acts like 
the murder of Joseph Ileto, acts that strike at the very values that 
define us as a nation. Now is the time for us to take strong and 
decisive action to fight hate crimes, and I call on Congress, at long 
last, to pass strong hate crimes legislation. It is time for us all to 
raise our voices against intolerance and to build the one America that 
our hearts tell us we can be.

Note: H.R. 3189, approved April 14, was assigned Public Law No. 106-184.