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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1999)
may 2T. 1999 • k’ríiiu h 'M ¿ É t ) ,, mnews A H eartfelt P lea Committee hears testimony— including the emotionally charged words of Judy Shepard— regarding federal hate crimes act by Bob Roehr “ '"Wr n M att’s room at the hospital, what we £ found was a motionless, unaware young man with his head swathed in bandages, his face covered with stitches, and tubes everywhere— enabling the body to hold on to life,” Judy Shepard told a hushed hearing room. “O ne of his eyes was partially open. But the twinkle o£ life wasn’t there anymore.” M atthew Shepard’s mother offered her pow erful testimony during a May 11 hearing regard ing the federal Hate Crimes Prevention A ct of 1999, which is under consideration by the Sen ate Judiciary Committee. T he bill, sponsored by Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., would add disability, gender and sexual orientation to federal civil rights laws and would make it easi er for the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute. C urrent law prohibits crimes based on race, color, religion or national origin. Eight states have no hate crimes laws. Laws in 21 states cover sexual orienta tion. Twenty-two state laws include gender, and 21 cover disability. C hairm an O rrin H atch, R -U tah, spoke of “facts and issues th at are at once staggering and difficult." He described the matter Judy Shepard (left) as “an intersection between our well-intentioned desire to investi gate, prosecute and, hopefully, end these vicious crimes, and our unequivocal duty to respect the constitutional boundaries governing any legisla tive action we take.” Hatch then asked for additional data on bias crimes, saying it was essential before Congress moves ahead on legislation to broaden existing civil rights laws. Kennedy had no such qualms. “Tragically, the silence of Congress on this basic issue has been deafening, and it is unac ceptable,” he thundered. “We must stop acting like we don’t care— that somehow this funda mental issue is just a state and local problem. It isn’t. It’s a national problem, and for too long, Congress has been AWOL.” Deputy A ttorney General Eric Holder testi fied that current federal law is “simply inade quate” and has halted federal officials from assisting local officials in some cases. Since the Justice Department has prosecuted an average of six cases per year under existing hate crimes statutes— and does not anticipate that number increasing significantly under the proposed expansion— H atch suggested the department could request only the power to assist state and local officials in their prosecu tion of hate crimes. Holder countered by saying federal authori ties want the ability to act independently “when state and local authorities are unwilling or unable to prosecute a case." W hen pressed, he was unable to cite examples of this happening, but promised to respond in writing. “Let me ask you about the inclusion of gen der,” said Hatch. “Rapists are very seldom indif ferent to the gender of their victims.” Would rape then become a federal crime? “N ot all rape cases would be brought in fed eral court,” said Holder. He compared it to exist ing gun and drug laws where there is overlap ping jurisdiction. In such cases, local and feder al authorities consult to decide where charges will be filed. Specter, meanwhile, called hate crimes "real ly hot potatoes" that local prosecutors may be reluctant to handle. New York Republican Jeanine Ferris Pirro, W estchester C ounty’s district attorney, testified she was concerned about the expansion of fed eral jurisdiction. She forcefully stated, however, that “hate crime is a civil rights issue, and the proper role of the federal government in controlling this A smart financial plan begins with just 7 numbers. 238-6036 WADDELL screed The people with a plan fo r you. DREAM TIME Located inside: “A Twist in Time Salon” Need a good h a ir day? dive me a call and we w ill make it happen! Goldwell Certified Colorist Eric Brown District Manager 500 NE Multnomah Portland, OR 97232 503/238-6036 Haircuts ♦ Colors ♦ Perms (503) 231-7696 3523 SE Belmont St Portland, OR 9 7 2 14 Buying or Selling...? Make your Move with Millynn ...this Millennium! menace should mirror federal action in other areas of civil rights.” She added: "In the 1960’s, there were states unwilling to guarantee equal rights to all Amer icans. Citizens across our nation responded by raising their voices in a cry for justice.... Even tually, our government declared that civil rights cannot be allowed to fall prey to bigotry and intolerance. Senators, today we are still march- mg. Kenneth Brown is one of only three prose cuting attorneys for Albany County, Wyo., where trials are underway related to the murder last year of M atthew Shepard, a gay college stu dent. “A case of this magnitude and import puts a financial strain on our county like nothing else we’ve experienced,” he testified. Bill opponents included Robert Knight of the Family Research Council. “T he whole concept of hate crimes is flawed because it sets up special classes of victims afforded a higher level of protection than others victimized by similar crimes," Knight said. “Run-of-the-mill crime victims do not have a lobby.” But Judy Shepard pleaded for the bill’s imme diate passage. ♦ “I can assure opponents of this legislation, first hand, it was not words or thoughts, but vio lent actions that killed my son,” she said, adding that, had such a law been in place at the time of her son’s death, “perhaps these murderers would have gotten the message that this country does not tolerate hate-motivated violence. Maybe I would not have to be here today, talking about how my son was savagely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in freezing temperatures." 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