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Hate Crimes Bill Signing Ceremony 4/23/90 [OA 4729]
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6
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
April 23, 1990
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
DURING SIGNING CEREMONY
FOR HATE CRIMES STATISTICS LEGISLATION
Room 450
Old Executive Office Building
3:02 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: First of all, let me give a special
welcome to the members of Congress -- Congress in session, taking the
time to come down here -- several here who were so instrumental in
the passage of this bill. Senator Simon, Orrin Hatch -- Senator
Hatch. Senator Metzenbaum, Congressman Conyers, Congressman
Sangmeister, Jack Brooks -- Chairman Brooks, I should say
respectfully, to a fellow Texan. (Laughter.) And to Barbara --
Barbara Kennelly. And members of the civil rights community,
religious leaders and friends, welcome here.
We join together to celebrate a significant step to help
guarantee civil rights for every American -- the passage, and now the
signing, of the Hate Crimes Statistics Act.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both houses
of Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. And
it's of the plaza near a Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the '55 bus boycott. And in that
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial inscribed with the names of
40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle, each one
the victim of a hate crime.
On the memorial's wall, water cascades over the VOW made
by Dr. King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial: "We will not be
satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like
a mighty stream."
His pledge is just as powerful today. We will not be
satisfied. Justice for all has been the historic mission of the
civil rights movement, and it's a mission still to be fulfilled.
Bigotry and hate regrettably still exist in this country. And hate
breeds violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We
must rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias and
discrimination.
That's why I'm signing into law today a measure to
require the Attorney General to collect as much information as we can
on crimes motivated by religion, race, ethnicity or sexual
orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics Act.
One of the greatest obligations of this administration
and of the Department of Justice is the guarantee of civil rights for
all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union address, every one
of us must confront and condemn racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry and
hate not next week, not tomorrow, but right now -- every single one
of us. For hate crimes cannot be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations
involving hate crimes. We will continue to do so.
As we speak, 17 racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be
sentenced by a federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes
against Jewish, black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
MORE
- 2 -
killed a federal judge and a NAACP lawyer, are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed these senseless crimes are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further
step toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Our
administration will work with Congress to determine whether new law
enforcement measures are needed to bring hate mongers out of hiding
and into the light of justice. And at the same time, by collecting
and publicizing this information, we can shore up our first line of
defense against the erosion of civil rights by alerting the cops on
the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for reporting
complaints of these hate crimes. Those incidents that can and should
be prosecuted will be reported directly to the appropriate federal,
state or local agency for action. The faster we can find out about
these hideous crimes, the faster we can track down the bigots who
commit them.
We must work together to build an America of opportunity,
where every American is free finally from discrimination. And I will
use this noble office -- this bully pulpit, if you will -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
Enacting this law today helps move us toward our dream --
a society blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach
that day when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings and the
vandalisms of the Yeshiva school and the Catholic churches we've seen
recently, and so many other sad, sad incidents are no more -- until
that day, we must remember: for America to continue to be a good
place for any of us to live, it must be a good place for all of us to
live.
So you wouldn't be here if you weren't extraordinarily
interested in the work of the United States Congress. So I want to
thank each and everyone of you for coming. And now I'm pleased to
sign the Hate Crimes Statistics Act into the law. (Applause.)
END
3:08 P.M. EDT
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
April 23, 1990
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
DURING SIGNING CEREMONY
FOR HATE CRIMES STATISTICS LEGISLATION
Room 450
old Executive Office Building
3:02 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: First of all, let me give a special
welcome to the members of Congress -- Congress in session, taking the
time to come down here -- several here who were so instrumental in
the passage of this bill. Senator Simon, Orrin Hatch -- Senator
Hatch. Senator Metzenbaum, Congressman Conyers, Congressman
Sangmeister, Jack Brooks -- Chairman Brooks, I should say
respectfully, to a fellow Texan. (Laughter.) And to Barbara --
Barbara Kennelly. And members of the civil rights community,
religious leaders and friends, welcome here.
We join together to celebrate a significant step to help
guarantee civil rights for every American -- the passage, and now the
signing, of the Hate Crimes Statistics Act.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both houses
of Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. And
it's of the plaza near a Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the '55 bus boycott. And in that
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial inscribed with the names of
40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle, each one
the victim of a hate crime.
On the memorial's wall, water cascades over the VOW made
by Dr. King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial: "We will not be
satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like
a mighty stream."
His pledge is just as powerful today. We will not be
satisfied. Justice for all has been the historic mission of the
civil rights movement, and it's a mission still to be fulfilled.
Bigotry and hate regrettably still exist in this country. And hate
breeds violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We
must rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias and
discrimination.
That's why I'm signing into law today a measure to
require the Attorney General to collect as much information as we can
on crimes motivated by religion, race, ethnicity or sexual
orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics Act.
One of the greatest obligations of this administration
and of the Department of Justice is the guarantee of civil rights for
all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union address, every one
of us must confront and condemn racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry and
hate not next week, not tomorrow, but right now -- every single one
of us. For hate crimes cannot be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations
involving hate crimes. We will continue to do so.
As we speak, 17 racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be
sentenced by a federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes
against Jewish, black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
MORE
- 2 -
killed a federal judge and a NAACP lawyer, are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed these senseless crimes are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further
step toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Our
administration will work with Congress to determine whether new law
enforcement measures are needed to bring hate mongers out of hiding
and into the light of justice. And at the same time, by collecting
and publicizing this information, we can shore up our first line of
defense against the erosion of civil rights by alerting the cops on
the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for reporting
complaints of these hate crimes. Those incidents that can and should
be prosecuted will be reported directly to the appropriate federal,
state or local agency for action. The faster we can find out about
these hideous crimes, the faster we can track down the bigots who
commit them.
We must work together to build an America of opportunity,
where every American is free finally from discrimination. And I will
use this noble office -- this bully pulpit, if you will -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
Enacting this law today helps move us toward our dream --
a society blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach
that day when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings and the
vandalisms of the Yeshiva school and the Catholic churches we've seen
recently, and so many other sad, sad incidents are no more -- until
that day, we must remember: for America to continue to be a good
place for any of us to live, it must be a good place for all of us to
live.
So you wouldn't be here if you weren't extraordinarily
interested in the work of the United States Congress. So I want to
thank each and everyone of you for coming. And now I'm pleased to
sign the Hate Crimes Statistics Act into the law. (Applause.)
END
3:08 P.M. EDT
HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY / ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990 / 3:00 P.M.
FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO GIVE A SPECIAL WELCOME TO
THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO WERE so INSTRUMENTAL IN THE
PASSAGE OF THIS BILL: SENATORS PAUL SIMON, ORRIN HATCH,
AND HOWARD METZENBAUM; AND CONGRESSMEN JOHN CONYERS,
JACK BROOKS, JOHN BRYANT, GEORGE SANGMEISTER, BARBARA
KENNELLY, AND CHARLES SCHUMER. MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL
RIGHTS COMMUNITY, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, AND FRIENDS.
- 2 -
WELCOME To THE WHITE HOUSE. WE JOIN TOGETHER TODAY
TO CELEBRATE A SIGNIFICANT STEP TO HELP GUARANTEE THE
CIVIL RIGHTS OF EVERY AMERICAN: THE PASSAGE -- AND NOW
THE SIGNING - -- OF THE HATE CRIMES STATISTICS AcT.
WHEN I FIRST HEARD THAT THIS BILL HAD PASSED BOTH
HOUSES OF CONGRESS, I THOUGHT OF A PHOTOGRAPH IN THE
NEWS RECENTLY. IT IS OF THE PLAZA NEAR THE MONTGOMERY,
ALABAMA CHURCH WHERE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.,
PREACHED DURING THE 1955 BUS BOYCOTT.
- 3 -
IN THE PLAZA STANDS A NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL,
INSCRIBED WITH THE NAMES OF 40 BRAVE AMERICANS WHO DIED
IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE -- EACH ONE THE VICTIM OF
A HATE CRIME. ON THE MEMORIAL'S WALL, WATER CASCADES
OVER THE VOW MADE BY DR. KING ON THE STEPS OF THE
LINCOLN MEMORIAL: "... WE WILL NOT BE SATISFIED UNTIL
JUSTICE ROLLS DOWN LIKE WATERS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE A
MIGHTY STREAM." DR. KING'S PLEDGE IS JUST AS POWERFUL
TODAY -- WE TOO WILL NOT BE SATISFIED.\
- 4 -
JUSTICE FOR ALL HAS BEEN THE HISTORIC MISSION OF
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. AND IT IS A MISSION STILL
To BE FULFILLED. 11 BIGOTRY AND HATE STILL EXIST IN
THIS COUNTRY, AND HATE BREEDS VIOLENCE, THREATENING THE
SECURITY OF OUR ENTIRE SOCIETY. WE MUST RID OUR
COMMUNITIES OF THE POISON WE CALL PREJUDICE, BIAS, AND
DISCRIMINATION.
- 5 -
THAT IS WHY I AM SIGNING INTO LAW TODAY A MEASURE TO
REQUIRE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL To COLLECT AS MUCH
INFORMATION AS WE CAN ON CRIMES MOTIVATED BY RELIGION,
RACE, ETHNICITY OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION -- THE HATE
CRIMES STATISTICS AcT.
ONE OF THE GREATEST OBLIGATIONS OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION AND OUR DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS THE
GUARANTEE OF CIVIL RIGHTS FOR ALL AMERICANS.
- 6 -
As I SAID IN MY STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, "EVERY ONE
OF US MUST CONFRONT AND CONDEMN RACISM, ANTISEMITISM,
BIGOTRY AND HATE, NOT NEXT WEEK, NOT TOMORROW, BUT
RIGHT NOW -- EVERY SINGLE ONE OF us." FOR HATE CRIMES
CANNOT BE TOLERATED IN A FREE SOCIETY.
WE HAVE VIGOROUSLY PROSECUTED FEDERAL VIOLATIONS
INVOLVING HATE CRIMES AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.
- 7 -
As WE SPEAK, SEVENTEEN RACIST SKINHEADS IN DALLAS ARE
WAITING TO BE SENTENCED BY A FEDERAL COURT FOR
CONSPIRING TO COMMIT HATE CRIMES AGAINST JEWISH, BLACK
AND HISPANIC CITIZENS. THE MAIL BOMBINGS WHICH KILLED
A FEDERAL JUDGE AND AN NAACP LAWYER ARE BEING
INVESTIGATED TENACIOUSLY BY FEDERAL AUTHORITIES. WE
WILL NOT REST UNTIL THE COWARDS WHO COMMITTED THESE
SENSELESS CRIMES ARE BEHIND BARS. 11
- 8 -
THE HATE CRIMES STATISTICS Act IS AN IMPORTANT
FURTHER STEP TOWARD THE PROTECTION OF ALL AMERICANS'
CIVIL RIGHTS. OUR ADMINISTRATION WILL WORK WITH
CONGRESS TO DETERMINE WHETHER NEW LAW ENFORCEMENT
MEASURES ARE NEEDED TO BRING HATE-MONGERS OUT OF HIDING
AND INTO THE LIGHT OF JUSTICE. AND, AT THE SAME TIME,
BY COLLECTING AND PUBLICIZING THIS INFORMATION, WE CAN
SHORE UP OUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST THE EROSION
OF CIVIL RIGHTS -- BY ALERTING THE COPS ON THE BEAT.
- 9 -
I'M ALSO PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY THAT THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW TOLL-FREE
PHONE NUMBER FOR REPORTING COMPLAINTS OF HATE CRIMES.
THOSE INCIDENTS THAT CAN AND SHOULD BE PROSECUTED WILL
BE REPORTED DIRECTLY TO THE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL, STATE,
OR LOCAL AGENCY FOR ACTION. THE FASTER WE CAN FIND OUT
ABOUT THESE HIDEOUS CRIMES, THE FASTER WE CAN TRACK
DOWN THE BIGOTS WHO COMMIT THEM.
- 10 -
WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD AN AMERICA OF
OPPORTUNITY, WHERE EVERY AMERICAN IS FREE FROM
DISCRIMINATION. AND I WILL USE THIS NOBLE OFFICE --
THIS BULLY PULPIT -- TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST HATE AND
DISCRIMINATION EVERYWHERE IT EXISTS.
ENACTING THIS LAW TODAY HELPS MOVE US TOWARD OUR
DREAM -- A SOCIETY BLIND TO PREJUDICE, A SOCIETY OPEN
TO ALL.
- 11 -
UNTIL WE REACH THAT DAY, WHEN THE BIGOTRY AND HATE OF
MAIL BOMBINGS, THE VANDALISM OF THE YESHIVA SCHOOL AND
THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES WE'VE SEEN RECENTLY, AND so MANY
OTHER SAD, SAD INCIDENTS ARE NO MORE -- UNTIL THAT DAY,
WE MUST REMEMBER: AMERICA WILL NOT BE A GOOD PLACE FOR
ANY OF US TO LIVE UNLESS IT IS A GOOD PLACE FOR ALL OF
US TO LIVE. III
- 12 -
THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU. ((AND NOW, I AM
PLEASED TO SIGN THE HATE CRIMES STATISTICS AcT INTO
LAW.))
###
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 20, 1990
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
MARY KATE GRANT mkg
SUBJECT:
HATE CRIMES STATISTICS BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
I. SUMMARY
Attached for your review are proposed brief remarks for the
Hate Crimes Statistics bill signing ceremony, to be held Monday,
April 23, at 3:00 p.m. in room 450 of the Executive Office
Building. There will be approximately 250 people present, mostly
leaders from the Black, Hispanic, Jewish and Asian communities.
II. DISCUSSION
The attached remarks (six minutes, speechcards) applaud the
importance of this law as a further step towards ending bigotry
and hate in America. This legislation will help the Attorney
General assess the pattern and scope of hate crimes in America.
Grant/Blessey
April 20, 1990
Draft seven / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
3:00 P.M.
First of all, I'd like to give a special welcome to the
Members of Congress who were so instrumental in the passage of
this bill: Senators Paul Simon, Orrin Hatch, Howard Metzenbaum
Arlen Specter, and Strom Thurmond; and Congressmen John Conyers,
Jack Brooks, John Bryant, and George Sangmeister. Members of the
civil rights community, religious leaders, and friends.
Welcome to the White House. We join together today to
celebrate a significant step to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: The passage -- and now the signing -- of the
Hate Crimes Statistics Act.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial: " we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
2
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we too will not be
satisfied.
Justice for all has been the historic mission of the civil
rights movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate
breeds violence, threatening the security of our entire society.
We must rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice,
bias, and discrimination. That is why I am signing into law
today a measure to require the Attorney General to collect as
much information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
One of the greatest obligations of this Administration and
our Department of Justice is the guarantee of civil rights for
all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union address,
"Every one of us must confront and condemn racism, antisemitism,
bigotry and hate, not next week, not tomorrow, but right now --
every single one of us." For hate crimes cannot be tolerated in
a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
3
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed these senseless crimes are behind bars.\\
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring hate-mongers out of
hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same time, by
collecting and publicizing this information, we can shore up our
first line of defense against the erosion of civil rights -- by
alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will be reported directly to the
appropriate federal, state, or local agency for action. The
faster we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we
can track down the bigots who commit them.
We must work together to build an America of opportunity,
where every American is free from discrimination. And I will use
this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak out against
hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
Enacting this law today helps move us toward our dream -- a
society blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we
reach that day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and
vandalism of our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad,
sad incidents are no more -- until that day, we must remember:
4
America will not be a good place for any of us to live unless it
is a good place for all of us to live.\\\
Thank you and God bless you. ((And now, I am pleased to
sign the Hate Crimes Statistics Act into law.))
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 20, 1990
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
MARY KATE GRANT mkg
SUBJECT:
HATE CRIMES STATISTICS BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
I. SUMMARY
Attached for your review are proposed brief remarks for the
Hate Crimes Statistics bill signing ceremony, to be held Monday,
April 23, at 3:00 p.m. in room 450 of the Executive Office
Building. There will be approximately 250 people present, mostly
leaders from the Black, Hispanic, Jewish and Asian communities.
II. DISCUSSION
The attached remarks (six minutes, speechcards) applaud the
importance of this law as a further step towards ending bigotry
and hate in America. This legislation will help the Attorney
General assess the pattern and scope of hate crimes in America.
Bruble 2:00 2230 we BRIEF what
Grant/Blessey
April 20, 1990
Draft seven / A:HATE
REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
3:00 P.M.
First of all, I'd like to give a special welcome to the
Members of Congress who were so instrumental in the passage of
this bill: Senators Paul Simon, Orrin Hatch, Howard Metzenbaum Cherles
Roht
Arlen Specter, and Strom Thurmond; and Congressmen John Conyers
Jack Brooks, John Bryant, and George Sangmeister. BabaraKiennelly Members of the
civil rights community, religious leaders, and friends.
Welcome to the White House. We join together today to
celebrate a significant step to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: The passage -- and now the signing -- of the
Hate Crimes Statistics Act.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial: "
we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.' "
2
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we too will not be
satisfied.
Justice for all has been the historic mission of the civil
rights movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate
breeds violence, threatening the security of our entire society.
We must rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice,
bias, and discrimination. That is why I am signing into law
today a measure to require the Attorney General to collect as
much information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
One of the greatest obligations of this Administration and
our Department of Justice is the guarantee of civil rights for
all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union address,
"Every one of us must confront and condemn racism, antisemitism,
bigotry and hate, not next week, not tomorrow, but right now --
every single one of us." For hate crimes cannot be tolerated in
a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do SO. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
3
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed these senseless crimes are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring hate-mongers out of
hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same time, by
collecting and publicizing this information, we can shore up our
first line of defense against the erosion of civil rights -- by
alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will be reported directly to the
appropriate federal, state, or local agency for action. The
faster we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we
can track down the bigots who commit them.
We must work together to build an America of opportunity,
where every American is free from discrimination. And I will use
this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak out against
hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
Enacting this law today helps move us toward our dream -- a
society blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we
reach that day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and
vandalism of our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad,
sad incidents are no more -- until that day, we must remember:
4
America will not be a good place for any of us to live unless it
is a good place for all of us to live.\\\
Thank you and God bless you. ((And now, I am pleased to
sign the Hate Crimes Statistics Act into law.) ))
# # #
Document No. 134262
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 04/19/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Friday 04/20
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
SUBJECT:
(04/19 draft six)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON N/C
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 04/20, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1990 APR 19 PM 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
TIME?
((Acknowledgements))
to celebrate
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
a
step
take two significant (actions) to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
and now the signing
Statistics Act. E- now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
>
Luther King, Jr., preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial:
"
we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." "
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied. 11
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today a
measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
one of the greatest obligations of
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
is
and [by] our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate, not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us. For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
these
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars. 11
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
vand publicizing
time, by collecting this information [at the scene of the crime,
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
reported
and should be prosecuted will be sent directly to the appropriate
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
for the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
family law, and has had a distinguished career of public service
in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s, and is an army veteran
and a former public school teacher.
4
Wilfredo Gonzalez is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company; a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is a good place
for all of us to live.
5
( (And now, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to swear in our new commissioners.
]
Congratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
# # #
unclassified
CLASSIFICATION
PAGES 6
CIRCLE ONE BELOW
MODE
IMMEDIATE
SECURE FAX # 52
DTO 2002577APR9C
PRIORITY
ADMIN FAX n
RELEASER r
ROUTINE
RECORD #
FROM/LOCATION
ass
1. Sharon Wagner/The White House
TO/LOCATION/TIME OF RECEIPT
1.
Linda Casey for Governor Sununu/Key Largo
2.
2 Andy Card/
"
4. Jim Cicconi/
"
5. David Demarest/
=
a Marlin Fitzwater/
"
Sig Rogich/
"
7.
8. McBride, Tim/
"
1. 9. Ed Rogers/
"
2.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS/REMARKS.
Attached, as staffed for comments, are Presidential remarks for Monday,
04/23 -- Hate Crimes Bill Signing Ceremony. Comments are due
2:00pm, Friday 04/20.
fovA.m. Delivery
CLASSIFICATION
WHCA FORM & 15 OCTOBER 04
Document No. 134262
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 04/19/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Friday 04/20
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
SUBJECT:
(04/19 draft six)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 04/20, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1330 APR 19 PM 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
TIME?
((Acknowledgements))
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
take two significant actions to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
Statistics Act -- now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial: " we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied.
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today a
measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
and by our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate -- not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us. For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society. 11
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars. 11
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
time, by collecting this information at the scene of the crime,
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will be sent directly to the appropriate
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
for the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
family law, and has had a distinguished career of public service
in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations, and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s, and is an army veteran
and a former public school teacher.
4
Wilfredo Gonzalez is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company; a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is a good place
for all of us to live. 111
5
( (And now, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to swear in our new commissioners "
Congratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
# # #
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 4-20-90 ; 9:20AM ;
2024562397-
CABINET AFFAIRS;# 2
080B122
Document No. 134262
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 04/19/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Friday 04/20
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
SUBJECT:
(04/19 draft six)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 04/20, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
see comments
Hols Williamson
4-20-90 20 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 4-20-90 ; 9:21AM ;
20245023977
VADING AFFAIRS:#
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1990 APR 19 PM 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
TIME?
((Acknowledgements))
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
take two significant actions to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
Statistics Act -- now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial: we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied.
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
ignored
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
among some
Bigotry and hate still existAin this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today a
measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
and by our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate -- not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us. For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
ignoral
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
yes
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
repetitive
to say
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which "racist
skinheads'
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
the
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
POJ
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
this
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 : 4-20-90 ; 9:22AM ;
2024562397-
CABINET AFFAIRS;# 5
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
time, by collecting this information at the scene of the crime,
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will be sent directly to the appropriate
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
for the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
family law, and has had a distinguished career of public service
in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations, and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s, and is an army veteran
and a former public school teacher.
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 : 4-20-90 ; 9:22AM ;
2024562397-
CABINET AFFAIRS:# 6
4
Wilfredo Gonsales is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company; a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is m good place
for all of us to live.
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 4-20-90 ; 9:23AM ;
2024562397-
CABINET AFFAIRS;# 7
5
((and new, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to ovear in our new cemmissioners.1)
Songratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
...
Blussey's Aes
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1990 APR 19 FH 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
MOCs:
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING
6 accepted, 10 pending
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
Simp. CEREMONY willupt.)
Senntors Howard Metzenboum, Orrin Hotch, Specter
TIME?
3:00p.m.
((Acknowledgements)) Congressmen Jack Brooks, John Conyers, & John Bryant
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
take two significant actions to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
Statistics Act -- now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln
Memorial:
"
we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied.
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today a
measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
too
Act.
Some
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
and by our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
1
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us 11 For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
time, by collecting this information at the scene of the crime,
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
stet
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that
the Rights Division can of the Intice Dept
and should be prosecuted will be sent directly to the appropriate
or
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
for the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
family law, and has had a distinguished career of public service
in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations, and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s, and is an army veteran
and a former public school teacher.
4
Wilfredo Gonzalez is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company; a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is a good place
for all of us to live.
5
((And now, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to swear in our new commissioners.))
Congratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 20, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
FOR COMMUNICATIONS
FROM:
NELSON LUND
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
MY
SUBJECT:
Draft Presidential Remarks: Hate Crimes Bill
Signing Ceremony
At the request of James W. Cicconi, Counsel's office has reviewed
the captioned remarks. Suggested changes are marked on the
attached hard copy. Otherwise, we have no legal objections.
We appreciate having had the opportunity to review these remarks.
Attachment
CC: James W. Cicconi
01 2 MAR OZO 06
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1990 APR 19 PM 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
TIME?
((Acknowledgements))
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
take two significant actions to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
Statistics Act -- now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial:
we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied.\
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today a
measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
and by our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate -- not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us. For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
these
crimes
taken
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
(and publicizing
time, by collecting this information at the scene of the crime
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
taken
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will (reported be sent directly to the appropriate
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
for the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
family law, and has had a distinguished career of public service
in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations, and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s, and is an army veteran
and a former public school teacher.
4
Wilfredo Gonzalez is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company; a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is a good place
for all of us to live.
5
( (And now, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to swear in our new commissioners.) )
Congratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
# # #
Document No. 134262
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 04/19/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Friday 04/20
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
SUBJECT:
(04/19 draft six)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
V
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
R
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
9
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 04/20, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
fee comments
12:20 20 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1990 APR 19 PM 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
TIME?
( (Acknowledgements)
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
take two significant actions to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
murr X4864
which I am signing today
Statistics Act -- now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
+
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial:
"
we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
ignored
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied.
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
that has not yet been
more
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled.
*3060
do
Mollin +3060
Bigotry and hate A still exist in this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today a
measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
and by our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate -- not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us. For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
ignored
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
VICIOUS
meen
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars.
x3.60
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
time, by collecting this information at the scene of the crime,
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will be sent directly to the appropriate
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
very pleased
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
meen
X3060
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
for the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
He
family law and has had a distinguished career of public service
Moll
in both the Reagan and Bush this Administrations.
Administration
X3060
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations, and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s and is an army veteran
more
x3060
and a former public school teacher.
4
Wilfredo Gonzalez is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company, a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
that
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
ignored
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is a good place
for all of us to live.
5
( (And now, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to swear in our new commissioners.) )
Congratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
# # #
To
Korsuphora
Date
Time
WHILE YOU WERE OUT
M
Rob Portman
of
Phone
2230
Area Code
Number
Extension
TELEPHONED
PLEASE CALL
CALLED TO SEE YOU
WILL CALL AGAIN
WANTS TO SEE YOU
URGENT
RETURNED YOUR CALL
there will be
Message members of
Congress there
I dold
Operator
AMPAD
EFFICIENCY®
23-021 CARBONLESS
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 20, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Hate Crimes Bill Signing
Ceremony
In response to your request for my comments on the
President's remarks for the Hate Crimes Act signing ceremony, I
have only two comments:
1. On page 2, in the last sentence of the last full paragraph,
the word "crime" is misspelled.
2. On page 3, I would reverse the order of introduction. Art
Fletcher is nominated to be chairman of the Commission. For
that reason, it would be appropriate to introduce him first and
to add a sentence showing the President's confidence in his
future performance as chairman.
Check an vita of Carl anderson.
SO MAR 20 P3 : 43
Document No. 134262
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 04/19/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Friday 04/20
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
SUBJECT:
(04/19 draft six)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
R
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 04/20, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1990 APR 19 PM 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
TIME?
((Acknowledgements))
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
take two significant actions to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
Statistics Act -- now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial: " we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied.
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today a
measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
and by our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate -- not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us. For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
time, by collecting this information at the scene of the crime,
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will be sent directly to the appropriate
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
'ARL ANDERSON
WHAT HAS
the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
DONE IN THE
family law, and has had a distinguished career of public service
in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
Bush
ADMINISTRATION?
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations, and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s, and is an army veteran
and a former public school teacher.
4
Wilfredo Gonzalez is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company; a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is a good place
for all of us to live.
5
((And now, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to swear in our new commissioners. "
Congratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
# # #
Document No. 134262
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 04/19/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Friday 04/20
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
SUBJECT:
(04/19 draft six)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
R
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
9
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 04/20, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
Please see comments
4/20/90
11:8d 20 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1990 APR 19 PM 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
TIME? 3:00 p.m.
( (Acknowledgements) )
to celebrate
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
a
step
take two significant actions to help guarantee the civil rights
and now the signing of
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
Statistics Act now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial:
"
we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied.
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
this
measure
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today, a
STET measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
and by our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate -- not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us. For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society. 11
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do so. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
time, by collecting this information at the scene of the crime,
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will be sent directly to the appropriate
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
for the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
family law, and has had a distinguished career of public service
in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations, and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s, and is an army veteran
and a former public school teacher.
would for possible in this swearing 5/17!
4
Wilfredo Gonzalez is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company; a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is a good place
for all of us to live.
5
((And now, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to swear in our new commissioners.) )
Congratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
# # #
Document No. 134262
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 04/19/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 2:00 p.m. Friday 04/20
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
SUBJECT:
(04/19 draft six)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
9
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 04/20, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
OH Bruce 3aT for Sg Rogish
60 :2d 20 MAY 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Grant/Blessey
April 19, 1990
1990 APR 19 PM 7: 13
Draft six / A:HATE
BRIEF REMARKS: HATE CRIMES BILL SIGNING CEREMONY
ROOM 450
MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1990
TIME?
((Acknowledgements))
Welcome to the White House. We join together today as we
take two significant actions to help guarantee the civil rights
of every American: To applaud the passage of the Hate Crimes
Statistics Act -- now law, and to swear in four new commissioners
of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
When I first heard that this bill had passed both Houses of
Congress, I thought of a photograph in the news recently. It is
of the plaza near the Montgomery, Alabama church where Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. preached during the 1955 bus boycott. In the
plaza stands a new civil rights memorial, inscribed with the
names of 40 brave Americans who died in the civil rights struggle
-- each one the victim of a hate crime. On the memorial's wall,
water cascades over the VOW made by Dr. King on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial:
"
we will not be satisfied until justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Dr. King's pledge is just as powerful today -- we will not be
satisfied.
Justice has been the historic mission of the civil rights
movement. And it is a mission still to be fulfilled. 11
Bigotry and hate still exist in this country, and hate breeds
violence, threatening the security of our entire society. We must
2
rid our communities of the poison we call prejudice, bias, and
discrimination. That is why I am signing into law today a
measure to require the Attorney General to collect as much
information as we can on crimes motivated by religion, race,
ethnicity or sexual orientation -- the Hate Crimes Statistics
Act.
No obligation is taken more seriously by this Administration
and by our Department of Justice than the guarantee of civil
rights for all Americans. As I said in my State of the Union
address, every one of us must confront and condemn racism,
antisemitism, bigotry and hate -- not next week, not tomorrow,
but right now -- every single one of us. For hate crimes cannot
be tolerated in a free society.
We have vigorously prosecuted federal violations involving
hate crimes and will continue to do SO. As we speak, seventeen
racist skinheads in Dallas are waiting to be sentenced by a
federal court for conspiring to commit hate crimes against
Jewish, Black and Hispanic citizens. The mail bombings which
killed a federal judge and an NAACP lawyer are being investigated
tenaciously by federal authorities. We will not rest until the
cowards who committed this senseless cimre are behind bars.
The Hate Crimes Statistics Act is an important further step
toward the protection of all Americans' civil rights. Once this
vital information on these heinous crimes is collected, our
Administration will work with Congress to determine whether new
law enforcement measures are needed to bring these hate-mongers
3
out of hiding and into the light of justice. And, at the same
time, by collecting this information at the scene of the crime,
we can shore up our first line of defense against the erosion of
civil rights -- by alerting the cops on the beat.
I'm also pleased to announce today that the Department of
Justice has established a new toll-free phone number for
reporting complaints of hate crimes. Those incidents that can
and should be prosecuted will be sent directly to the appropriate
federal, state, or local agency for immediate action. The faster
we can find out about these hideous crimes, the faster we can
track down the bigots who commit them.
And to continue the important struggle for the guarantee of
civil rights for all Americans, I am deeply honored today to
swear into office our four new members of the Civil Rights
Commission.
Carl Anderson is currently vice president for public policy
for the Knights of Columbus, a professor and renowned expert in
family law, and has had a distinguished career of public service
in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations.
Arthur Fletcher is an expert on Federal and State employment
standards compliance who served in the Nixon and Carter
Administrations, and is a former executive director of the United
Negro College Fund. Mr. Fletcher served as an alternate delegate
to the United Nations in the early 1970s, and is an army veteran
and a former public school teacher.
4
Wilfredo Gonzalez is currently associate director for Equal
Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights in the Department of
State. He has a long record of experience in the public sector,
specializing in housing, minority business, and migrant worker
issues. Mr. Gonzalez served in the Peace Corps, as chief of
operations for Latin America.
Russell G. Redenbaugh is the first disabled American to
serve on this Commission since its creation in 1957. He is a
successful businessman who is chairman and CEO of a computer
company; a co-founder of an educational services firm, and a
partner in a Philadelphia investment management firm. Mr.
Redenbaugh is an executive, financial and economic strategist as
well as an accomplished author and teacher.
I look forward to working with all of you during your tenure
on the Commission, for we must work together to build an America
of opportunity, where every American is free from discrimination.
And I will use this noble office -- this bully pulpit -- to speak
out against hate and discrimination everywhere it exists.
These events today move us toward our dream -- a society
blind to prejudice, a society open to all. Until we reach that
day, when the bigotry and hate of mail bombings, and vandalism of
our churches and synagogues, and so many other sad, sad incidents
are no more -- until that day, we must remember: America will not
be a good place for any of us to live unless it is a good place
for all of us to live.
5
( (And now, with the Attorney General's assistance, I would
like to swear in our new commissioners.) )
Congratulations to all of you. Thank you and God bless you.
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