The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUPPORT FOR THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ENHANCEMENT ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S5446-S5447 on June 12, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORT FOR THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ENHANCEMENT ACT
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I was deeply disappointed that the Senate did not have enough votes to move forward on the hate crimes bill--even though a clear majority of the Senate supports this important measure.
During the debate, many of my colleagues addressed the constitutionality of this legislation, and the role that the Federal Government should play with regard to hate crimes. What speaks volumes to me about the importance of this legislation--and the reason the Senate's inaction is so disappointing--are the stories. The people behind the numbers. The victims and the survivors.
In the strong hope that we will revisit this matter in the near future, let me share some of these stories--some of the awful realities of the crimes we are talking about. The most recent happened just last week in Riverside, CA.
Last Thursday, two gay men were stabbed repeatedly in the back outside a popular gay bar. One of these men, 40-year-old Jeffrey Owens, died hours later. Michael Bussee, 48-years-old, managed to survive.
According to the media reports, both men had come to the bar to celebrate a friend's birthday. After leaving the bar with their partners, Jeffrey Owens wanted to show everyone the pictures he had taken on a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park. When he went to retrieve the pictures in his car, a man approached Michael Bussee, punched him, and then stabbed him in the back. Noting the commotion, Jeffrey Owens approached the perpetrator, and was stabbed four times in the back. Before stabbing Jeffrey, the attacker screamed a homophobic slur.
Apparently, neither man knew how badly he had been hurt. Jeffrey Owens didn't even realize he had been stabbed until he stepped out of the car at the county hospital in Moreno Valley, when his friends saw his blood-soaked seat.
Jeffrey Owens died hours later, after two operations. Michael Bussee was treated and released.
There are countless other stories I could share with you, but I will only touch on a few of them here today.
On September 7, 2000, a Los Angeles resident was charged with murder and hate crimes for allegedly killing a 65-year-old Hispanic man, Jesus Plascensia, by running him over at least twice in a parking lot. Authorities say she made comments about her hatred of Hispanics after she murdered him and referred to him as ``dead road kill.''
On September 18, 2001, someone threw a Molotov cocktail through the window of a Sikh family's home in San Mateo, CA. The fuse was lit but, due to some miracle, the firebomb did not explode as it hit the head of a 3-year-old child in the house.
In Santa Barbara, CA, a 37-year-old gay man named Clint Scott Risetter was killed after an alleged arsonist poured gasoline over him while he slept and set him on fire. The perpetrator says he killed Risetter ``because he was gay,'' and because he had ``a lot of hatred toward gay people.''
And the list goes on and on. These stories are what make this bill so vitally important.
This bill would extend current Federal hate crime protection--which covers race, religion, color and national origin--to gender, sexual orientation and disability. It would also make it easier to prosecute hate crimes at the Federal level.
It is an extremely important tool to help our already overtaxed State and local law enforcement by allowing Federal assistance, when necessary, in the investigation and prosecutions of hate crimes.
It would provide Federal assistance to State, local and Indian law enforcement officials who have run up extraordinary expenses in connection with their investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. It would also provide training grants to help local law enforcement officers identify, investigate, prosecute, and prevent hate crimes. Finally, it would allow the Justice Department to back up local law enforcement by removing arcane obstacles that prevent effective prosecution of hate crimes motivated by race, color, religion, or ethnicity.
This bill has broad support from notable law enforcement agencies and state and local leaders, including 22 state Attorneys General, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriff's Association, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and others. With this broad-based support, and with the need so clearly urgent, this bill should be immediately passed.
Two years ago we stressed the importance of passing hate crimes legislation. We cited the examples of James Byrd, Jr., of Matthew Shepard, and others. And we passed it.
Here we are, two years later, making the same arguments and conducting the same debates. This time, the victims have new names: most recently, in my State of California, names such as Jeffrey Owens, Michael Bussee, Jesus Plascensia, and Clint Scott Risetter.
The time to act is now. It is my hope that we will pass this vital legislation by the end of this year.
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