Extensions of Remarks E1 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS
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January 3, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS INTRODUCTION OF POLICE husband, loving father, and loyal friend to stant example of sincerity, loyalty, and devo- CAMERA ACT 1/3/19 many, Mr. Ralph William Hall. Sadly, Mr. Hall tion to family. passed away on December 18, 2018. His fu- Madam Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, HON. STEVE COHEN neral service will be held on January 5, 2019 along with the 730,000 constituents of the OF TENNESSEE at 11 am at St. Timothy Episcopal Church lo- Second Congressional District of Georgia, sa- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES cated at 3601 Alabama Avenue SE, Wash- lute and honor the life of Mr. Ralph William Thursday, January 3, 2019 ington, D.C. 20020. Hall. I ask my colleagues in the House of Rep- Mr. Ralph William Hall was born on January resentatives to join us in extending our deep- Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today 25, 1919, in Metcalf, Georgia to the union of est condolences to the Hall family during this in support of the Police Creating Accountability Adam and Maggie Franklin Hall. He was the difficult time of bereavement. We pray that by Making Effective Recording Act, also oldest of five children. At an early age, he that they will be consoled and comforted by an known as the Police CAMERA Act, a bill I in- moved to Thomasville, Georgia where he lived abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, troduced today with several of my colleagues. with his parents and maternal grandmother. weeks and months ahead. If enacted, this bill would establish a grant pro- During this time, he learned to fish, hunt, and gram to assist state and local law enforcement f perform farm chores. But, it was also during with the deployment of body-worn camera pro- this time that his unbreakable bond with God INTRODUCTION OF THE COMMIS- grams. SION TO STUDY REPARATION Safe communities require good police. was cemented. He joined St. Mark AME Church and attended every Sunday. He also PROPOSALS FOR AFRICAN-AMER- Good policing requires public trust. ICAN ACT Unfortunately, in far too many communities, attended Allen Normal School, a private Con- that trust has become strained. gregational school where he learned self-dis- In the wake of recent police shootings, our cipline and bible study. HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE nation is facing sobering questions about the A diligent student, Ralph graduated from OF TEXAS basic fairness of our criminal justice system. Douglas High School, where he served as IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES We face sobering questions about race. Senior Class President. He went on to con- Thursday, January 3, 2019 Over the past several years, the wider avail- tinue his education at Johnson C. Smith Uni- ability of video has shined a much-needed versity in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I am light on police use of deadly force. Without earned a degree in Mathematics in 1941. pleased to re-introduce H.R. 40, the Commis- video of places like North Charleston, Staten Ralph was drafted into the United States Army sion to Study and Develop Reparation pro- Island, Chicago, Cleveland, Baton Rouge, while in college, but was allowed to complete posals for African-Americans Act. This legisla- Tulsa and Falcon Heights, Minnesota the his degree requirements, then served faithfully tion was first introduced by retired Member of world might never know what occurred. for five years. He was discharged in 1946. He Congress John Conyers of Michigan in 1989, The more we see of these types of videos, was initiated into the brotherhood of Omega and was intended to examine the institution of the more we are left to wonder about all the Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and was a life member slavery in the colonies and the United States incidents that were not recorded. for 80 years until his passing. from 1619 to the present, and further rec- Had there been better video of the shooting Following his discharge from the Army, his ommend appropriate remedies. of Darrius Stewart in my home town of Mem- life would change forever as he was joined in Since the initial introduction of this legisla- phis, it might have helped to better inform the holy matrimony with his college sweetheart, tion, its proponents have made substantial grand jury that, sadly, refused to indict the po- Virginia (Ginny) Holder. progress in elevating the discussion of repara- lice officer who was responsible. He moved his new family to Washington, tions and reparatory justice at the national Justice is supposed to be blind, but it is not level and joining the mainstream international supposed to be blind to the facts. D.C. and embarked on a career with the Fed- Police body cameras can help provide evi- eral Government that lasted for 35 years. Dur- debate on the issues. Though some have tried dence and restore some much-needed trust. ing this time, two children were born to this to deflect the importance of these conversa- They can protect both police and citizens union, Douglas and Angela. tions by focusing on individual monetary com- alike. Sadly, Ginny became ill and passed in pensation, the real issue is whether and how The vast majority of police are well mean- 1962. Mr. Hall was then left with the awesome this nation can come to grips with the legacy ing, dedicated public servants, and we depend task of being a single father. However, as with of slavery that still infects current society. upon them to keep us safe from criminals. other challenges in his life, he was more than Through legislation, resolutions, news, and liti- They have dangerous jobs, as we have seen ready to meet this one. His strong and unwav- gation, we are moving closer to making more all too frequently. ering faith in God led him to become a mem- strides in the movement toward reparations. But the fact remains some officers go be- ber of the Jones United Methodist Church, Today there are more people at the table— yond the law in a callous disregard for due where he proudly served as Chairman of the more activists, more scholars, more CEO’s, process. Their actions damage the public trust Trustee Board, where he led the completion of more state and local officials, and more Mem- that is essential for good police to be able to the Education Building along with serving as bers of Congress. However, despite this serve and protect our communities. the Church School Superintendent. progress and the election of the first American Police body cameras, alone, won’t solve this Another major life changing event for him President of African descent, the legacy of problem. But they are an important step in the occurred when he was introduced to Thelma slavery lingers heavily in this nation. While we right direction. Johnson by a dear Army Buddy and his wife, have focused on the social effects of slavery I urge all members to help pass the Police Milton and Evelyn Serailee. This led to their and segregation, its continuing economic im- CAMERA Act quickly. marriage in 1965 and the new family moved to plications remain largely ignored by main- f Hillcrest area in Southeast Washington, D.C. stream analysis. These economic issues are IN MEMORY OF MR. RALPH Ralph Hall continued his love for service to the root cause of many critical issues in the WILLIAM HALL humankind as a member of the Hillcrest Civic African-American community today, such as Association and as PTA President at Anne education, healthcare and criminal justice pol- Beers Elementary School. In 1966, he and icy, including policing practices. The call for HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. Thelma joined St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church reparations represents a commitment to enter- OF GEORGIA where he served many roles to include: Lay ing a constructive dialogue on the role of slav- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Reader, Diocensanis Delegate, Member of the ery and racism in shaping present-day condi- Thursday, January 3, 2019 Men of St. Timothy’s (Most), and the Brother- tions in our community and American society. Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I hood of St. Andrews. He truly dedicated his Over the last several years, we have had a rise today to honor a great soldier, dedicated life to the service of others. And was a con- distinguished academic and activist panel from ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:43 Jan 04, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A03JA8.011 E03JAPT2 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with REMARKS.