José E. Serrano: “Yet we find out that gang violence is spreading throughout the country. And this bill begins to address it in a proper…”

“Yet we find out that gang violence is spreading throughout the country. And this bill begins to address it in a proper and strenuous way. Interestingly enough, those of us who have lived in the inner city know that there is a relationship between gang violence and drug abuse and drug addiction because those who do not use drugs but who become millionaires by providing the drugs make sure that people who are in gang-related activities and other activities in the community become addicted. Their line of business is to get people addicted, and this is the way they do it. So it is interesting that we are speaking today on a bill that addresses both issues. But the main point here is for the American people to fully understand that this is not a disease, this is not a condition, this is not a crime that is only related to certain parts of our community. It is related to the whole Nation; and it threatens us, in my opinion, as much as anything else. Years from now if we do not deal with this issue, if we let the full Nation go the way that some communities have gone, we will regret the fact that we missed an opportunity.”