CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 158, Pt. 4 April 16, 2012 Electricity Curtailed, and It Would Be the SPEAKER Pro Tempore
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4770 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 158, Pt. 4 April 16, 2012 electricity curtailed, and it would be The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there Movement, and I was very privileged to bad for the industry and the commerce objection to the request of the gentle- be with John last year and his wife, my of this country. So the Fifth Fleet woman from the Virgin Islands? friend, Gay McDougall, in Geneva, being there is extremely important. There was no objection. Switzerland, as we worked through and Bahrain has been very supportive of Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I would like to I chaired a committee for the U.N. on our military, very supportive of our in- again thank the Democratic leader for minority political participation. telligence, very supportive of the Navy giving us this time. John will be deeply missed by so and the Fifth Fleet, and we need to Mr. Speaker, tonight the Congres- many. My thoughts and my prayers are make sure that that relationship con- sional Black Caucus will use the hour with his wife, Gay McDougall, and all tinues for as many years as possible. to speak on something that’s always at of his family and his friends. And as we The best way to do that is to make the core of what we fight for and what remember John and the progress that sure there is stability in the govern- we legislate for and what we legislate we have made with his leadership, we ment, and the information that has to end, and which is always at the root know that the work for justice is far been coming back through the State of much of what we come to the floor from over. The recent events in Florida Department and others is that the Gov- every Monday night to talk about, the are really a grim reminder of the long ernment of Bahrain has been repressive persistence of inequality and injustice road ahead. and that we ought to be putting pres- in our country. On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Mar- sure on them to make positive changes. It is fitting then that as we do so this tin, a 17-year-old African American They have made the changes. They are evening we call to mind and honor a youth, was tragically gunned down using tear gas only to stop the dem- staunch champion for justice, attorney while walking home from a local 7 onstrators. John Payton, who at the time of his Eleven store. The gunman, 38-year-old death on March 22 was the sixth presi- George Zimmerman, was not imme- b 1920 dent of the NAACP Legal Defense and diately charged with the murder and They have reached out to the dem- Educational Fund. was released by the Sanford Police De- onstrators to get them to the con- Tonight I’m joined by several of my partment. ference table to support and change colleagues, and I begin by yielding such Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee said rules and regulations and laws there time as she might consume to the that there was not enough evidence to that will solve the problem. This, former chair of the Congressional arrest George Zimmerman even though again, is a report, an independent re- Black Caucus, a leader and one of our the killer followed the young male in port, by outside entities, experts, that strongest fighters for justice and equal- his SUV and confronted the teen before came up with a very voluminous report ity in this country, the gentlewoman the shooting. More than 40 days later, on things that should be changed in from Oakland, California, Congress- as a result of the outrage across the Bahrain by the royal family and the woman BARBARA LEE. country, dedicated reporting from the government to make sure that every- Ms. LEE of California. Thank you media, advocacy from community and body can live together in peace and very much. First let me just thank faith leaders and vocal parents and that there will be stability in the re- Congresswoman Dr. CHRISTENSEN for families and, of course, the facts, which gion. those very kind remarks, but also for spoke for themselves, the wheels of jus- I want to stress one more time the your leadership on this issue and on so tice are finally beginning to turn. This demonstrators will not come to the many issues and for anchoring these is really an unfortunate and tragic de- conference table. So tonight I’d like to Special Orders week after week. It’s so fining moment that we must come to urge those who are demonstrating to important that the points of view of grips with. First we must, of course, take a step back, take a deep breath the Congressional Black Caucus get seek justice for Trayvon and his fam- and reach out and take the hand of the out to the public, and you’ve been such ily, especially in the wake of the cir- government, sit down at the conference a steady and consistent voice, and your cumstances surrounding his killing. table and work things out because presence here is deeply appreciated. Secondly, we must make certain that that’s what they want to do. If they do Thank you very much. this toxic and deadly mix of the power that, I’m sure there will be peace and Also, I just have to thank all of the of guns, hate crimes, and racial harmony in Bahrain, and it will be members of the Congressional Black profiling ends once and for all. Just re- great for the United States of America Caucus, Chairman CLEAVER, for con- cently, Bill Cosby said that there is a because a great friend, a great ally and tinuing to beat the drum for justice. need to get guns off the street and that a great government over there will be This past week, we lost a tireless advo- people should be taught to use every secure and be able to protect our inter- cate for justice, equality and oppor- possible alternative before shooting ests as well as other interests that are tunity, and I am deeply saddened by someone. Yet, of course, there are very important to the entire world. the passing of my friend and activist, those who continue to push for vigi- With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back John Payton. lante justice. With laws like stand- the balance of my time. John was a civil rights attorney and your-ground, Sanford really could be f served as the president of the NAACP’s anywhere. It could be in my own com- Legal Defense and Educational Fund CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: munity, and we have many, many of and was lead counsel for the University THE TRAYVON MARTIN CASE the same challenges as Sanford has. of Michigan in the 2003 landmark case AND JUSTICE AND MOURNING Racial profiling is real. This young concerning diversity in higher edu- THE PASSING OF JOHN PAYTON teenager was gunned down, of course, cation. John was a California native, because of how he looked, because of The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under yet his legal victories touched those the color of his skin. As the mother of the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- around the globe. At the center of his two sons and the proud grandmother of uary 5, 2011, the gentlewoman from the conviction was the belief that democ- two grandsons, these fears haunted me Virgin Islands (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN) is racy at its core requires that all of the as I was raising my two sons and con- recognized for 60 minutes as the des- people be included in ‘‘we the people.’’ tinue to haunt me each and every day. ignee of the minority leader. His life was really a testimony to The reality is that many black parents GENERAL LEAVE this belief. He was the past president of live with these fears each and every Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I the District of Columbia Bar Associa- day. ask unanimous consent that all Mem- tion and served in leadership roles with Again, Sanford could be anywhere. bers may have 5 legislative days in a number of civil and human rights or- Hate crime must be enforced. Of which to revise and extend their re- ganizations, including the National course, Mr. Zimmerman was fixated marks and include extraneous material Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and focused on young black males ac- on the topic of this Special Order. under Law and the Free South Africa cording to neighbors and press reports. VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:04 Mar 28, 2017 Jkt 019102 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR12\H16AP2.000 H16AP2 rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD April 16, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 158, Pt. 4 4771 He had been the subject of complaints lumbia. He was totally dedicated to So this is a personal statement as I by neighbors in his gated community voting rights for the District of Colum- rise to salute John Payton and also ac- for aggressive tactics. bia. And I’m so pleased that Congress- knowledge his wife, Gay McDougall. Now, our laws state that you cannot woman ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON is And I want to say this on behalf of my injure or intimidate another based on continuing to fight the good fight and husband, Dr. Elwyn C. Lee, a graduate their race. When these laws are broken, has made sure that all of us do not for- of Yale Law School and who knew Gay the consequences must be applied ap- get that we live here during the week very well, and I knew her.