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DAWSON AWARDS
Our
neighborhoods, our children, our struggle
Dawson Family Community Protection Act of 2003
The
2004 NUSA Dawson Award was
awarded to
"Becca's Closet", in memory of Rebecca Kirtman
from Plantation, Florida.
Congressman Elijah E. Cummings
Proudly Representing Maryland's 7th District
(10/4/03 Baltimore AFRO-American Newspaper)
Our neighborhoods, our children, our struggle
by Congressman Elijah E. Cummings
In less than two weeks, America will pause to remember - and honor - Angela Dawson, Carnell Dawson and their 5 children, killed last October in retaliation for Mrs. Dawson's heroic stand against drug trafficking in their Baltimore neighborhood.
This week, the US House of Representatives gave our respect for the Dawsons' memory tangible form.
In the flames that consumed one family's hopes and future, America was forced to look drug trafficking squarely in the eye. We saw the drug dealers for who they actually are: narco-terrorists who threaten all that we hold dear.
These are our neighborhoods and our children whose lives are at stake. Whether we live in a Baltimore row home or a rural Indiana farming community, all of us are in this struggle together.
This is our struggle to win - but the sheer scope of the danger that we face requires federal help.
Since the Dawson tragedy, additional federal law enforcement muscle has been targeted at the violent drug trafficking that was at the heart of the arson-murder that took seven innocent lives. The preliminary results of that expanded police presence are promising.
Our message to Baltimore's drug trafficking organizations must be clear - allowing their gang members to kill innocent people is a bad idea with very, very serious consequences.
More federal funding for police work will follow - last Tuesday's House vote almost assures that - but taking violent predators off our streets will not completely answer the challenge posed by the Dawson murders.
People deserve justice when they are the victims of crime - but they also need effective, community-based protective measures that can stop crimes of violence before they occur.
That is why the National Drug Control Policy umbrella legislation that the House passed this week (H.R. 2086) includes "The Dawson Family Community Protection Act" that I sponsored along with Congressman Mark Souder, my Republican colleague from Indiana.
Congressman Souder and I are united in our determination to protect our families, our neighborhoods and our homes. We also understand that a deadly threat like narco-terrorism requires a serious, thoughtful and sustained federal response.
The Dawson Family Community Protection Act goes beyond traditional law enforcement concepts of witness protection to embrace a new vision: "community protection."
Witness protection programs - even when they work as intended - do not provide the full level of security that people who are struggling to protect their neighborhoods need and deserve.
Some strong-minded people will resist offers of protective relocation. Families like the Dawsons may not want to leave their homes, forcing their children to change schools
We also know that the continued presence of these strong local leaders is critical to preserving our neighborhoods. We don't want them to be run out.
Public cooperation with law enforcement authorities is essential; but we must reduce the risk of violent retaliation by the drug trafficking organizations. That is why the Dawson bill authorizes additional federal funding for community protection measures like anonymous anti-drug hotlines.
The $1 million community protection authorization we passed in the House this week is a first step - a minimum baseline. The ultimate level of federal funding will be decided during the congressional appropriations process.
This is a fundamentally new level of federal involvement in local public safety efforts. Mustering the broad congressional support required for an adequately-funded, truly-comprehensive system of community protection will not be easy, even with bipartisan support and the encouragement of allies like ONDCP Director John Walters.
Nevertheless, this week's vote in the House was an important step forward, demonstrating that Republicans and Democrats can work together when the public need is clear and the public support for our work is persistent.
We can prevail and make our communities safer - if we all pay heed to the wisdom of Tom Carr, Director of the Washington Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program.
"We will always remember the Dawson family's sacrifice," Mr. Carr recently declared to a member of my staff. "We will never forget that protecting the public is our primary duty."
As a father, and as someone who lives in a Baltimore neighborhood very similar to the one in which the Dawson family lived and died, the reality of this struggle is clear. Angela Dawson was fighting for her children's future - and their lives
So are we all. We cannot afford to fail.
-The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings represents the 7th Congressional District of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2003
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Devika Koppikar
(202) 225-4741 or (202) 225-4024
Ms. Trudy Perkins
(202) 225-1739 or (202) 225-2144
Mike Christianson
(410) 496-2010 or (202) 225-9876
Congressman Cummings Announces Adoption of "Dawson Family Community Protection Act of 2003" within Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Elijah E. Cummings announced that the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources has adopted language he introduced in H.R.1599: "The Dawson Family Community Protection Act of 2003," within H.R.2086: "The Reauthorization of the Office of National Drug Control Policy." Congressman Cummings is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee.
Congressman Cummings introduced the Dawson bill as a result of the risk taken by individuals and families across the nation who to stand up to violent drug dealers. Entitled the "Dawson Family Community Protection Act of 2003," the bill is named after the late Angela and Carnell Dawson family in Baltimore, who were tragically killed last October in for their anti-drug efforts. In the early morning hours of October 16, 2002, the home of Carnell and Angela was firebombed. The attack on the Dawson family home was in apparent retaliation for Mrs. Dawson´s repeated complaints to the police about persistent drug distribution activity in her East Baltimore City neighborhood. The resulting fire claimed the lives of Mr. Dawson, Mrs. Dawson and their five young children, aged 9 to 14.
"The Dawson family died as heroes," Congressman Cummings said. "The nation must honor their sacrifice and provide protection to those everyday neighborhood heroes citizens who take it upon themselves to make our communities safer."
The ONDCP Reauthorization bill will include provisions from the Dawson bill that would direct the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to provide at least $1 million annually to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program aimed at providing protection to communities that suffer from severe levels of drug-related crime.
This federal funding would specifically be used to increase neighborhood safety and encourage the voluntary sharing of information about drug trafficking activities. The bill also recognizes that the cooperation of ordinary citizens like Angela Dawson is vital in disrupting illegal drug trafficking organizations and in aiding the efforts of law enforcement.
"I thank my colleagues for their support of this bill and honoring the heroic efforts of the Dawson family and other families in neighborhoods across the nation who aid law enforcement tackle drug trafficking in their neighborhood, despite the fear of retaliation," Congressman Cummings said. "Action on this bill is a demonstration of how Democrats and Republicans can truly serve the American people by working in a bipartisan manner."
In addition to the Dawson bill language, Congressman Cummings introduced the following provisions that were accepted and included in the ONDCP Reauthorization bill:
· A provision that the ONDCP budget must include increased funding for the Substance Abuse and Treatment Block Grant (SAPT). The SAPT grant provides funding to states for programs that address the prevention and treatment of substance abuse.
· A provision that requires the ONDCP budget to include increased funding for the Targeted Capacity Expansion Program (TCAP). This program aims to bridge the gap between the demand and availability of substance abuse treatment programs.
· A provision that requires the Department of Education to submit a plan that would offer student loans to students who were denied financial assistance because of past drug offenses.
Following approval by the Full House Government Reform Subcommittee on Thursday, May 22, 2003, the bill is expected to proceed to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.