Moment of Silence in Remembrance of the Victims of the Sacramento Gun Violence
Floor Speech
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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today heartbroken, full of pain and sadness for my district, my hometown of Sacramento.
Very early yesterday morning, I got an alert that there was a mass shooting; and I wondered, ``Now where?'' Then I read the words: Sacramento. This terrible violence has come home to my home in Sacramento.
Sacramento experienced the deadliest mass shooting in the city's history. Six members of our community were killed and 12 were sent to local hospitals.
Our Sacramento community is hurting. This tragedy has touched every single one of us, and I really deeply appreciate the outpouring of support for the lives lost from all of you and across the Nation.
Sacramento is truly a special place. We deeply care for each other; we work together; we are resilient; and we show compassion when our neighbors are in pain. Our entire community has come together in the wake of this tragedy to pray for the victims and their loved ones and to support the efforts of our community responders and law enforcement officers who are still hard at work.
As Sacramentans, we are still in the early hours and first day of our grief. These were our neighbors, our friends, and our family members. While we will never be able to fill the space of a lost loved one, we can all reach out, embrace them, and make sure that the love they hold for those lost endures in us all.
I want to name the ones we lost:
Sergio Harris, 38 years old;
Melinda Davis, 57 years old;
Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21 years old;
Johntaya Alexander, 21 years old;
Devazia Turner, 29 years old; and
Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32 years old.
Right now we are bound in grief and love, but also in our resolve to do better. We cannot go on accepting that shootings like this are inevitable. If we can prevent even one more tragedy like this, spare other families and communities from feeling this pain, then we have to come together and act. We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such senseless violence.
I now ask my colleagues and all Americans to join me in a moment of silence for the victims of this terrible tragedy, for their loved ones, for those still fighting to recover, and for our entire Sacramento community. Let us together mourn and pray for them during this difficult time.
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