Full Text of HR0194 100th General Assembly
HR0194 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, There has been a dramatic increase of incidents | 3 | | targeting minority
populations all over the United States, with | 4 | | repeated rhetoric and harassment of Jews, Muslims, refugees, | 5 | | LGBTQ, and
communities of color, creating a climate of | 6 | | pervasive fear and anxiety; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Over the last two months in Illinois and | 8 | | throughout the United States, there has been a dramatic | 9 | | increase in crimes of hate directed at
Jews and Muslims, | 10 | | including acts of desecration; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The JCC Association of North America reports over | 12 | | 160 Jewish Community Centers and
Jewish day schools in the | 13 | | United States and Canada have received bomb threats in the last | 14 | | two months; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, In January alone, over 48 Jewish Community Centers | 16 | | in 27 states received bomb threats and,
on February 27, there | 17 | | were 31 incidents of bomb threats called into 23 JCCs and eight | 18 | | Jewish day schools
in Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, | 19 | | Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada,
New | 20 | | York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, | 21 | | Washington State, and Calgary
(Canada); and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Five waves of reported threats have been recorded, | 2 | | and in the last wave, 100 incidents were recorded at 81 | 3 | | locations (inclusive of JCCs and Jewish day schools) in 33 | 4 | | states and two Canadian
provinces, including two Jewish | 5 | | Community Centers in Illinois, in Hyde Park and Lake Zurich; | 6 | | and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Two Jewish cemeteries, located in St. Louis, | 8 | | Missouri and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were vandalized, with
| 9 | | headstones overturned, crumbled and destroyed, and swastikas | 10 | | written on graves; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Jewish agencies were also being targeted, with two | 12 | | recorded bomb threats called into the
Anti-Defamation League | 13 | | headquarters in the New York City, New York and San Francisco, | 14 | | California regional offices, both of
which were evacuated; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, The Loop Synagogue in downtown Chicago was the | 16 | | target of vandalism; the suspect, who
has been arrested, broke | 17 | | a window and placed swastikas on the door of the synagogue; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Swastikas were found in the men's bathroom at the | 19 | | Northbrook Public Library, a frequent
occurrence since | 20 | | November of 2016; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, A swastika was found carved into a bench at the |
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| 1 | | Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education
Center, which welcomes | 2 | | and educates about 1,000 students and staff and members of the | 3 | | general public
each day; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, The FBI reported 5,818 hate crimes in 2015, up by | 5 | | 6% over the previous year, and with
anti-Muslim hate crimes up | 6 | | by 67%; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois remains committed to | 8 | | religious freedom and the full protection of
the United States | 9 | | and Illinois Constitutions for all people, and will fight | 10 | | vigorously to defend against any actions to the contrary; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois recognizes an assault on any | 12 | | one race, religion, or culture is an assault on
all, and | 13 | | condemns racism, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia, | 14 | | anti-Semitism, and all other forms of
hate, and is committed to | 15 | | honor and protect all Illinois residents, regardless of race, | 16 | | ethnicity, religion,
immigration status, and all other | 17 | | communities targeted by such hateful and disturbing acts; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The United States of America has a proud history | 19 | | of accepting its residents, regardless of
ethnic origins, | 20 | | religious affiliation, or country of origin, and for fighting | 21 | | against intolerance, bigotry, evil,
violence, and segregation; | 22 | | therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 3 | | condemn these evil acts of fearmongering and desecration, that | 4 | | we will respond to these
despicable actions with swift and | 5 | | decisive conviction and action, provide full support to the | 6 | | victims, and
join in partnership with law enforcement and other | 7 | | State agencies to denounce further evil acts to combat
any | 8 | | future threats based on hate to all in the great State of | 9 | | Illinois; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 11 | | delivered to Governor Bruce
Rauner, Attorney General Lisa | 12 | | Madigan, the Director of the Illinois State Police, and all 102 | 13 | | States'
Attorneys in the State of Illinois.
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