The Need For Passing Hate Crimes Legislation

Floor Speech

THE NEED FOR PASSING HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION

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Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, like Representative Jackson-Lee before me, I was shocked at hearing of the shooting at the Holocaust Museum yesterday. Indeed, it is a place of special reverence and a place where you wouldn't think violence would occur, but deranged minds do deranged things, and the man who did the shooting had a history of hate towards African Americans and toward Jews and toward our government, it appears, even though he served in our Armed Forces.

It reminds me of the need for passing hate crimes legislation because hate today still exists in people's hearts, and when people hate any group, they generally hate all different minorities. They don't understand the America of tolerance and inclusion that we celebrate and upon which we were founded.

It also reminds me of the need to have a COPS bill passed to have more protection, and the cops that were approved in the ARRA protect our society from these types of attacks.

Yesterday there was to be a play debuted at the Holocaust Museum by Janet Langhart Cohen, wife of former Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen, about an imaginary conversation between Emmett Till and Anne Frank. It will debut on Friday at George Washington University and talk about tolerance and peace and the results of hate.

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