As most of you know, the Backstreet Cafe shootings were not considered hate crimes under current law. Virginia does not recognize sexual orientation under its hate crime statue. The federal Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA) will create a more uniform system while adding gender, disability,
and sexual orientation to the list of federally recognized classes of hate crimes.

LLEEA (known as the hate crime bill) is expected to be brought up in the United States Senate as early as the coming week. I realize many of us are focused on the Nightline series but I would ask you to take a moment to make a difference in the lives of future hate crime victims by urging your senator to support LLEEA.

Virginia's Senators John Warner and George Allen made statements immediately after the Backstreet Cafe shootings indicating possible support for stronger legislation to combat hate crimes. The time has come to hold them accountable!

Current federal hate crime statues apply to race, religion, and ethnicity. If one were to spit in the face of Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson while voicing anti-religious sentiments, he/she could technically be charged with
a hate crime. Yet killing Danny Lee Overstreet and gunning down six others in cold blood is not a hate crime. LLEEA will change that. It will empower the federal government to investigate hate crimes including those based on gender, disability, and sexual orientation if a state chooses not to do its job. It will also provide grant money to the states (opon request) to initiate hate crime investigations. Unlike current federal legislation,
LLEEA can be invoked whether or not the crime is committed on federal property.

If ever there were an opportunity for Virginians to make their voices heard, now is the time. We urge you to take a few minutes to help us bombard Senator Warner and Senator Allens office with emails requesting their YES vote on the pending hate crime bill. Please do this without delay. Members of the Overstreet family and most of the survivors have already sent personal pleas. Won't you join Roanoke7? Let's make this a reality; the time is long past.

To send an email to Senator John Warner, please email him at: senator@warner.senate.gov

To email Senator George Allen, please follow this link to an email form on his web site: http://allen.senate.gov/email.html

We also urge all community leaders in Virginia to contact the senators on behalf of your organization.