Statement
of Barbara R. Arnwine, Executive Director and Thomas J.
Henderson, Deputy Director The Lawyers' Committee for Civil
Rights Under Law
The Lawyers' Committee is proud to support the launch of
"United Against Hate", a web-based grassroots
campaign to promote passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention
Act by the United States House of Representatives (House).
The Lawyers' Committee, as an active member of the Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights; Hate Crimes Task Force, has
been working with a group of over 175 national organizations
to enact the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This website and
the grassroots campaign that will be launched with it are
an important step to educate the public about hate crimes
and build vital support to encourage the House of Representatives
to pass this crucial legislation.
Last month, the first step was taken, in a historic bipartisan
vote the Senate passed critical hate crimes prevention legislation
called the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2000.
While the passage of this bill in the Senate marked an important
victory in securing an environment free of hate motivated
violence, it is critical that the House follow the Senate's
lead in order for this bill to become law.
The Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1082) is vital to address
the tragic violence visited upon citizens of our nation
because of their identity. We as a nation are increasingly
alarmed and saddened by the growing number of brutal hate
crimes perpetrated against our own citizens. This tragic
violence profoundly affects the civil rights of all Americans.
We need look no further for evidence than last summer's
shooting spree over three states that injured many and resulted
in the death of an African-American man and a young Asian
student, or the attack of children at a Jewish daycare center
and the subsequent murder of a Filipino-American postal
worker by a white supremacist. These incidents which occurred
because of the racial, religious and sexual identity of
the victims, are a constant reminder that hate crimes are
a grievous problem in our nation which demands immediate
action by the House.
H.R. 1082 is a critical piece of legislation which
will protect the civil rights of all Americans. This legislation
will assist local and state law enforcement efforts to enforce
and prosecute hate crimes by enhancing federal and state
cooperation, by removing obstacles to federal involvement
and by providing federal laws to properly address bias motivated
crimes in states where the laws are insufficient.
Until all Americans can freely walk the streets of our nation
without fear that their race, gender, disability or sexual
orientation will make them targets for hate violence, our
quest as a nation for racial equality cannot be fulfilled.
The Lawyers' Committee believes that this legislation is
a critical step to protecting millions of Americans from
the hate and racial violence that is escalating in our society.
Congress must not adjourn this year without enacting this
critical legislation to protect all of our citizens from
bias motivated violence.
back
to the top
