Nick Lampson: “I take to the floor today to express the outrage of the good people of southeast Texas, and my own personal outrage, at…”

“I take to the floor today to express the outrage of the good people of southeast Texas, and my own personal outrage, at the actions of the three men in Jasper, Texas who brutally beat, chained, and savagely dragged James Byrd, Jr., an innocent man, behind their pickup truck to his painful death. This brutal attack should serve as a wakeup call to people who sit comfortably in their seats and blatantly say that racism does not exist. The only reason that Mr. Byrd was singled out for attack by these people is because of his race. It is unbelievable that in this day and age hate crimes against people of color are still occurring, yet they do. We must speak out against all hate crimes toward any person and be strong leaders for tolerance in our society. Mr. Speaker, we must take the lead to challenge the good people of this Nation to come together to condemn such heinous acts. I am personally pained by the continued violence and cruelty levied against people who simply want to live in this country in peace. African Americans and people of color have suffered enough in this Nation because of racism and bigotry. We must not sit idly by and allow this evil to take play. Let us join together as a Nation to say that violence and hatred will not be tolerated.”