WASHINGTON,
D.C. – Today is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination
of Racial Discrimination. As the world celebrates this day, we must
reflect and take action against the existing discrimination and hate within
our borders. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11th, thousands
of assaults have been reported across the country on people of South Asian,
Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish backgrounds. By October 11th, the
Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee had already collected more than 700
reports of hate crimes in the month following September 11th. People
have been physically and verbally attacked, others shot and killed, temples
were firebombed, and houses were vandalized. Innocent Americans,
touched by the devastation of September 11th like the rest of us, must
not be singled out for hate just because of their skin color or religious
beliefs.
We
in Congress condemn this hate and violence. But we must do more.
It is time to take the next step and strengthen our current laws to protect
victims who are chosen because of their gender, sexual orientation, race,
religion, or disability. It is our duty. It is especially important
that our children learn that hate crimes will not be tolerated. This
is why we must pass H.R. 1343, The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention
Act of 2001, which would elevate the status of hate crimes within federal
law and ensure that state governments and local police have the tools needed
to fight and prosecute these crimes. This bill would not take away
the ability of state and local authorities to continue prosecuting most
hate crimes. It would allow federal officials to assist overstretched
states and local officials investigate and prosecute these crimes.
It would also provide states and localities with grants designed to combat
hate crimes committed by juveniles.
Sadly,
the prevalence of hate crimes goes beyond the backlash from September 11th.
The Southern Poverty Law Center estimates that last year alone, over 50,000
hate crimes took place. In the summer of 1999, the Midwest, including
my district in Illinois, was rocked by the killing spree of Benjamin Nathaniel
Smith. A follower of the World Church of the Creator, Benjamin Smith
killed Ricky Byrdsong, an outstanding role model in the community and a
constituent, and Won Joon Yoon, a student at Indiana University.
The Jewish Community in my district was also assaulted on the Sabbath with
rounds of gunfire.
The
weekend after the September 11th attacks, I marched in solidarity with
the South Asian, Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish communities to stand against
the terrorist attacks and the attacks on the community. I saw not
only overwhelming sadness, but also the fear of violence on the faces of
those walking with me. Members of my community and the district that
I represent were afraid to send their children to school. They did
not want to leave their homes even to go grocery shopping. But I
also saw the commitment from community members to combat bigotry and racism.
Those
who commit hate crimes perpetuate the sense of terror in our communities
and undermine the ideals of our nation. This is why it is so important
that hate crimes be recognized for what they are and punished accordingly.
These crimes not only devastate victims and their family and friends, but
they devastate the community to which the victim belongs. This community
becomes stricken with grief as well as the fear that they could be next.
The violence inflicted on those based solely on skin color or religion
violates the very essence of what our nation is about. Our country
represents tolerance and acceptance. We must pass the Local Law Enforcement
Hate Crimes Prevention Act. I am proud to represent one of the most
diverse districts in the nation and I will work to protect and honor the
civil rights of all our people, without any exceptions. |