[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 4 (Monday, January 27, 1997)]
[Pages 58-59]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

January 18, 1997

    Good morning. Today I want to talk with you about the progress we 
have made in response to last year's disturbing rash of arsons and other 
destructive acts directed at houses of worship throughout our country. 
But before I do, I want to condemn another act of violent terror, the 
recent bombing of the women's health center in Atlanta. That, too, is 
wrong, and we also must stop it.
    Now, in the aftermath of these terrible crimes against the houses of 
worship, many of us ask ourselves, why? Were these fires fueled by a 
sudden upsurge in racial and religious hostility? Were they set for 
personal gain or revenge? Or were they merely random acts of violence? 
Whatever the causes of the crimes, they offended every citizen who 
cherishes America's proud heritage of religious and ethnic diversity, 
every citizen who remembers that religious freedom, justice, and 
equality are the founding principles of our great democracy.
    As one who was raised in the church and who continues to be guided 
by the enduring lessons I learned there, I joined with all Americans of 
conscience in demanding swift action to combat these crimes, to help the 
churches rebuild and to prevent anymore fires.
    Seven months ago, I established the National Church Arson Task Force 
to coordinate the efforts of more than 200 FBI and ATF agents deployed 
to work with local and State law enforcement agencies, churches, and 
citizens to catch and prosecute those responsible for these crimes. This 
week, the task force released its first interim report. The report shows 
that we have been remarkably successful in solving the crimes. Since 
January 1995, 143 suspects have been arrested in connection with 107 
fires at churches and other houses of worship. This rate of arrest is 
double the general rate of arrest for arsons, and three-quarters of 
these arrests occurred during the 7 months following the formation of 
the task force. So far, 48 defendants have been convicted on Federal and 
State charges in connection with 43 fires.
    This work has been supported by $3 million in Justice Department 
grants to help local communities intensify their enforcement and 
surveillance efforts. In addition, Congress authorized the Department of 
Housing to administer a $10 million loan guarantee to assist with the 
rebuilding of churches. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
continues to work with communities to increase awareness and help build 
local arson prevention coalitions. This Federal effort must continue 
until all those responsible are bought to justice and no more fires 
burn.
    But even more impressive than our Government effort has been the 
tremendous outpouring of assistance that has flowed from every corner of 
our country in response to these crimes. People have crossed lines of 
faith and race and region to link arms in a united effort to rebuild and 
protect our houses of worship. And by doing so, they have shown us that 
America is still a country that cares about its neighbors, a country 
that comes together in the face of common threats to defend the common 
ground of our values. I am reminded of what Joseph said in Genesis when 
he met up with the brothers who sold him into slavery: ``You meant evil 
against me, but God meant it for good.''
    I saw this up close this past August when Hillary and I, along with 
the Vice President and Tipper Gore, picked up paint brushes and hammers 
to help rebuild Salem Baptist Church in Fruitland, Tennessee. One of the 
earliest supporters of the rebuilding of this tiny black church was the 
congregation of a white church 3 miles down the road that also had 
suffered a suspicious fire.
    On a national level, we saw groups like the National Council of 
Churches, the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Christian Leadership 
Council, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the NAACP come 
together as one to tackle this problem. And we received strong 
bipartisan support from Congress for our work. The insurance indus

[[Page 59]]

try, at the urging of the Vice President, also became a partner in the 
rebuilding effort. These groups, and others of good will all over 
America, stepped forward to live out the lesson of the man whose 
birthday celebration this year coincides with my second Inauguration on 
Monday.
    Thirty-four years ago, in his famous speech on The Mall in 
Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King recognized the need for biracial 
cooperation. In talking of his fellow Americans who stood with him in 
the civil rights struggle, he said, ``Their destiny is tied up with our 
destiny, and they have come to realize that their freedom is 
inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.''
    My fellow citizens, we must not walk alone into the 21st century. 
This next week as we focus on the inauguration and the future of our 
great country, my greatest hope is that we as Americans will continue to 
find strength in our diversity, that the world will always look to us as 
a champion of racial and religious liberty, that we will have the wisdom 
to heal our divisions and walk together into a bright new day.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 12:03 p.m. on January 17 in the Oval 
Office at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 18.