Norton Offers Condolences on the Death of Dr. Gaurav Gopalan

September 26, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement on the death of Dr. Gaurav Gopalan, who was killed earlier this month:

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Occasion of the Candlelight Vigil In Memory of Dr. Gaurav Gopalan

Though I cannot be with you this evening, what I have read of the loss of Dr. Gaurav Gopalan draws me to all of you who gather at Dupont Circle Park to light candles in memory of him. A multi-talented and brilliant aerospace engineer, Gaurav was the type of scientist our nation seeks to attract because, without them, American science simply would not move forward. Without a green card, Gaurav nevertheless loved our city and became one of us, having embraced our vibrant theater and found comfort in our neighborhoods. Here, Gaurav found a partner and was finding himself, but it was also here that he lost his life.

This brutal crime is an unbearable truth that Gaurav's death calls us to confront at last. To fail to engage the fact of the violence that took him from his partner, his friends, his family, and this city is to condone it. The recent surge in crimes against the LGBT community is a thundering call for action. I call on the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia to designate as a special priority bringing Gaurav's killer to justice to show the city and the world that these recent hate crimes, which tarnish the reputation of a great, progressive city, will not be tolerated.

On behalf of the residents of the District of Columbia, I offer my deepest sympathy to Gaurav's partner, Bob Schaefer, his parents, and his friends.

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