Ralph Hall: “last night two churches in Greenville, TX, the fourth district that I represent, were damaged by fires which are…”

“last night two churches in Greenville, TX, the fourth district that I represent, were damaged by fires which are suspected to be acts of arson. These are the latest in a long and tragic series of church burnings that have struck predominantly black, southern churches in the past 18 months. Whether these burnings eventually are found to be part of a conspiracy, isolated incidents, or ``copy-cat'' crimes, these are crimes that must be given top investigative priority. Members of the blue dog coalition, of which I am a member, have joined with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in asking Attorney General Janet Reno to give this issue the full and focused attention of the Department of Justice. In recent weeks, we have received assurance that the Department is committed to thorough investigation of these burnings, and yesterday Attorney General Reno gave her personal assurances to a delegation of ministers. As we speak here tonight, agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are in Greenville investigating these recent burnings. I would like to commend the efforts of the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Cleo Fields, and the distinguished gentleman from Alabama, Glen Browder, for their leadership on this issue, and I join others in the blue dog coalition, the Congressional Black Caucus, other Members of Congress, and the majority of Americans in condemning these acts of violence.”