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Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act

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Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act EMMETT TILL UNSOLVED CIVIL RIGHTS CRIME ACT JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITY OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.R. 923 JUNE 12, 2007 Serial No. 110-31 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary Available via the World Wide Web: http://judiciary.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 36-017 PDF WASHINGTON : 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan, Chairman HOWARD L. BERMAN, California LAMAR SMITH, Texas RICK BOUCHER, Virginia F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., JERROLD NADLER, New York Wisconsin ROBERT C. SCOTT, Virginia HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina ELTON GALLEGLY, California ZOE LOFGREN, California BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas STEVE CHABOT, Ohio MAXINE WATERS, California DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California MARTIN T. MEEHAN, Massachusetts CHRIS CANNON, Utah WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts RIC KELLER, Florida ROBERT WEXLER, Florida DARRELL ISSA, California LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California MIKE PENCE, Indiana STEVE COHEN, Tennessee J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia HANK JOHNSON, Georgia STEVE KING, Iowa LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois TOM FEENEY, Florida BRAD SHERMAN, California TRENT FRANKS, Arizona TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York JIM JORDAN, Ohio ADAM B. SCHIFF, California ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Florida KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota PERRY APELBAUM, Staff Director and Chief Counsel JOSEPH GIBSON, Minority Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES JERROLD NADLER, New York, Chairman ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama TRENT FRANKS, Arizona DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Florida MIKE PENCE, Indiana KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota DARRELL ISSA, California JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan STEVE KING, Iowa ROBERT C. SCOTT, Virginia JIM JORDAN, Ohio MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina STEVE COHEN, Tennessee DAVID LACHMANN, Chief of Staff PAUL B. TAYLOR, Minority Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITY ROBERT C. SCOTT, Virginia, Chairman MAXINE WATERS, California J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas JERROLD NADLER, New York F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., HANK JOHNSON, Georgia Wisconsin ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas STEVE CHABOT, Ohio MARTIN T. MEEHAN, Massachusetts DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin BOBBY VASSAR, Chief Counsel MICHAEL VOLKOV, Minority Counsel CONTENTS JUNE 12, 2007 Page THE BILL H.R. 923, the "Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act" .......................... 2 OPENING STATEMENT The Honorable Jerrold Nadler, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York, and Chairman, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties .............................................................. 1 The Honorable Trent Franks, a Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties ..................................... ................................... 12 The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan, Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary .......13 The Honorable Howard Coble, a Representative in Congress from the State of North Carolina, and Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and H om eland Security ................................................................. 14 The Honorable Louie Gohmert, a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas, and Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Se cu rity ................................................................................................................15 The Honorable Robert C. Scott, a Representative in Congress from the State of Virginia, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Home- lan d Secu rity ........................................................................................................15 The Honorable Steve Chabot, a Representative in Congress from the State of Ohio, and Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Secu rity ................................................................................................................. 16 WITNESSES Ms. Grace Chung Becker, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC O ral T estim ony ................................................................................................. 17 Prepared Statem ent ......................................................................................... 19 Ms. Myrlie Evers-Williams, Bend, OR O ral T estim ony ................................................................................................. 39 Prepared Statem ent ........................................................................................ 42 G. Douglas Jones, Esquire, Birmingham, AL O ral T estim ony ................................................................................................. 43 Prepared Statem ent ........................................................................................ 45 Mr. J. Richard Cohen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southern Pov- erty Law Center, Montgomery, AL O ral T estim ony ................................................................................................. 52 Prepared Statem ent ........................................................................................ 53 Rita L. Bender, Esquire, Skellenger Bender, Seattle, WA O ral T estim ony ................................................................................................. 57 Prepared Statem ent ........................................................................................ 59 Mr. Alvin Sykes, President, Emmett Till Justice Campaign Inc., Kansas City, MO O ral Testim ony .................................................. ............ 61 VI Page APPENDIX Material Submitted for the Hearing Record ........................ ................ 81 EMMETT TILL UNSOLVED CIVIL RIGHTS CRIME ACT TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2007 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES, AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, Washington, DC. The Subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 10:18 a.m., in Room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, the Honorable Jerrold Nadler (Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties) presiding. Present: Representatives Nadler, Conyers, Scott, Jackson Lee, Waters, Cohen, Davis, Ellison, Sensenbrenner, Coble, Chabot, Lun- gren, Franks, and Gohmert. Staff Present: David Lachman, Chief of Staff; Keenan Keller, Ma- jority Counsel; Susana Gutierrez, Professional Staff Member, Sub- committee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties; Bobby Vassar, Chief Counsel, Rachel King, Majority Counsel; and Veronica Eligan, Professional Staff Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Mr. NADLER. Good morning. This hearing of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and the Sub- committee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will come to order. I should say this joint hearing will come to order. Today's hearing will review legislation introduced by our colleague, the gen- tleman from Georgia, Mr. Lewis, designed to address unsolved crimes from the civil rights era. The Chair now recognizes himself for an opening statement. Today, the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties and the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security jointly consider H.R. 923, the "Emmett Till Un- solved Civil Rights Crime Act," introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Lewis. [The bill, H.R. 923, follows:] 110TH CONGRESS 923 1ST SESSION To establish an Unsolved Crimes Section in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and an Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Inves- tigative Office in the Civil Rights Unit of the Federal Bureau of Inves- tigation, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 8, 2007 Mr. LEWIS of Georgia (for himself, Mr. HULSHOF, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. WATT, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. WATERS, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. CLAY, Ms. LEE, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Ms. WATSON, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. WYNN, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. RUSH, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. CARSON, Mr. HONDA, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BECERRA, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. NADLER,
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