THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press
Secretary (Atlanta, Georgia)
For Immediate Release |
April 14,1999 |
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Today I
signed legislation designating the United States Post Office located at 14701
Peyton Drive in Chino Hills, California as the "Joseph Ileto Post Office."
Joseph Ileto was a Filipino American postal worker who was tragically murdered
last year in a crime of hate. He was a dedicated public servant, killed simply
because he was an Asian American who worked for his countrys government.
It is a fitting tribute to the life and memory of Mr. Ileto that we name this
post office in his honor.
During the
last year, we have all been shaken by violent acts like the murder of Joseph
Ileto, acts that strike at the very values that define us as a nation. Now is
the time for us to take strong and decisive action to fight hate crimes, and I
call on Congress, at long last, to pass strong hate crimes legislation. It is
time for us all to raise our voices against intolerance and to build the One
America that our hearts tell us we can be. |