Gregory Meeks: “Tiarah Poyau was young and full of life, like my daughters. She was the same age as many of the interns in my office.…”

“Tiarah Poyau was young and full of life, like my daughters. She was the same age as many of the interns in my office. Like them, she had big dreams and she was full of promise. She completed her bachelor of science at St. John's University in my district and was pursuing a master's degree. She dreamt of being an accountant. At 22, she had the promise of being a successful young woman and an outstanding and upstanding member of society. But those dreams and that promise, they ended this past weekend. They ended when Tiarah's life was cut short by a bullet in New York City. That same night, less than a block away from where she was shot, 17- year-old Tyreke Borel was gunned down--less than a block away. Behind every gun death is a person like Tiarah and Tyreke, a person with dreams and with promise. These victims of gun violence and their families and friends have received thoughts and prayers from this Congress, but because of the Republican majority, they haven't received action. Victims and their loved ones deserve better. They deserve a debate and a vote on commonsense gun reform on the House floor. In this Nation, we encourage our kids to dream big. We tell them that with hard work, they can transform their potential into success. We let them down if we fail to protect them, and so far, that is exactly what we have done. ____________________”