文章基本信息

标题：People remember James
作者：rd Jr., critical
期刊名称：The Topeka Capital-Journal
印刷版ISSN：1067-1994
出版年度：1999
卷号：Jun 8, 1999
出版社：Morris Multimedia, Inc.

People remember James

rd Jr., critical

By STEPHANIE ELIZONDO GRIEST

The Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas -- Two dozen protesters Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the dragging death of a black man by praying at the Capitol and demanding a special session of the Legislature to enact a tougher law against hate crimes. The James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, which would have toughened Texas' hate-crimes law, died in the state Senate earlier this year. The demonstrators were particularly critical of Gov. George W. Bush for not taking a position on the bill. "Had he not received his precious tax break, Bush would have called a special session. Why not for hate crimes?" asked Kyev Tatum, an Austin minister and spokesman for the Coalition of African- Americans Unified for Self Empowerment. Three white men have been charged with killing Byrd, who was chained to a pickup truck and dragged to pieces along a country road in Jasper. White supremacist John William King, 24, was convicted earlier this year and sentenced to death. The other defendants are awaiting trial. Democratic lawmakers have pointed to Bush's own White House ambitions as one reason the hate-crimes bill failed. Bush spokesman Scott McClellan noted that Texas already has a hate-crimes law and added, "Those who commit violent heinous crimes in Texas will be held accountable."