Date: 2015-09-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. today I rise to pay tribute to Deputy Darren H. Goforth. 47 years old. who lost his life more than 10 days ago in Houston. Texas. in an executionstyle killing. doing his job and serving his community. Deputy Goforth was a Harris County Sheriffs Deputy and a man who loved his job. He loved his family. his daughter and his son. and he loved his beautiful wife. Might I share with you her words. Kathleen Goforths: "My husband was an incredibly intricate blend of toughness and gentility." she said in a statement following his tragic death. He was fueling his vehicle at about 8:30 on a Friday night. and someone came behind himthe individual now in custodyand. in execution style. killed him. "There are no words for this." his wife said. "He was always loyalfiercely so. He was ethical. The right thing to do is what guided his internal compass." Of course. she wanted us to know. "If people want to know what kind of man he was. this is it. He was who you wanted for a friend. a colleague. and a neighbor." Goforth said in a statement. She went on to say. "However. I am who was blessed so richly that I had the privilege of calling him my husband and my best friend." To Kathleen and her family. Deputy Goforth was the best friends of all of us. He was the best friend of the community. He was the best friend of children whom he stopped and talked to or of young people whom he sought to inspire. He was the best friend of his friends and neighbors. as was evidenced by the 11.000 people who attended his funeral. He was the best friend of law enforcement officers. He was the best friend of the integrity of what law enforcement and first responders are all about. He was a young man. as we came to know during the eulogy and the various statements of friends and officers. who desired to be just a helper to anyone. We were told that. even as he worked. his father had a business and. when he had his time off. he would go to that business and help his father. We have come to understand that it was his mode of law enforcement to. again. protect and serve but to reach out even to talk to those who werent even looking his way. It was our understanding that he was gentle and kind and had a great sense of humor and. yes. looked like he did a little babysitting as well. So I rise today to speak to this Nation about this officer and to claim the time for ending senseless violence and to recognize that his lifeDeputy Goforths lifeis a testament to the goodness of the American people and our citizens in Houston and Harris County. Certainly. all of our State and local and congressional officials were there to acknowledge our deepest sense of loss. I want to thank the people of Harris County. when we see officers. for distributing 30.000 wristbands to pray for police. I went out to the gas pump where he was so heinously and tragically shot. and all of the flowers and notes and people raising money touched all of our hearts. Everyone stopped to pray and talk and hug. I remember someone saying. "I am a conservative male. but I am so glad to see you here." And I said. "My brother. I am glad to see you here. Can I hug you?" And we hugged because tragedy brings us together. but purpose should have us going forward. There should be a purpose as we lost this wonderful father and husband and law enforcement officer. As the ranking member on the Crime. Terrorism. Homeland Security. and Investigations Subcommittee. that is the very purpose that I am so excited about: this opportunity to talk about walking together. finding ways for solutions. and making sure that the life of a gentle. strong law enforcement person continues to have a presence in our lives through the way we handle our legislation and our coming together. Foremost among these dangers. of course. are those who come upon officers in the line of duty. Just a week ago. an officer in Illinois faced an enormous tragedy and lost his life. but we realize that they understand that as they go to serve their communities. We must all work togetherlaw enforcement. community residents. public officials. the Nationto make our communities places where we trust one another and cooperate to achieve our mutual goal of safety and security for all persons. It reminds us how much work we have to do and how much we are interwoven with our first responders and our law enforcement. Mr. Speaker. just a few days ago. I was at the 9111 commemoration. the memorial. and it reminded me of the strength of Deputy Goforth. So I would simply say we honor them. At this time. I will ask for a moment of silence in honor of Deputy Goforth. Mr. Speaker. it is with great sorrow but an abiding admiration that I rise today to acknowledge the life and service of Deputy Darren Goforth of Houston. Texas. Deputy Darren Goforth. a ten year veteran of the Harris County Sheriffs office. died on Friday. August 28. 2015. while refueling his patrol car. He was shot fifteen times by a man who. by all accounts. never knew Darren Goforth and the light he brought into this world. In a senseless act of violence. the love and care Darren Goforth gave to his wife. Kathleen and two young children. and the community he served. ended entirely too soon. According to Kathleen Goforth her husband was an "intricate blend of toughness and gentility." a man who was fiercely loyal and always strived to do the right thing. a person "who you wanted for a friend. a colleague. and a neighbor." May I add. Mr. Speaker. Darren Goforth was what we want in an American. Mr. Speaker. Darren Goforths life is a testament to the goodness in the American people. but his death is a reminder of many difficult and painful truths. Foremost among these are the dangers the men and women of our nations law enforcement departments face every time they walk their beats and patrol their communities. Their families. the persons who know them best and love them most. deserve to welcome them home at the end of each shift. safe and sound. Mr. Speaker. we must confront the reality that police departments and the communities they protect are all too often adversarial. We must all work togetherlaw enforcement. community residents. public officialsto make our communities places where we trust one another and cooperate to achieve our mutual goal of safety and security of for all persons. The murder of Deputy Goforth also reminds us that we must do more to stem the tide of gun violence that tears through this country. Neither our country nor our hearts can afford to lose people of such quality as Darren Goforth to gun violence in the staggering quantities that we do. Mr. Speaker. over 32.000 Americans die from gun violence each year. So. while Darren Goforths death is most certainly a tragedy. death by gun violence happens all too often in our country. This normalcy of gun violence is inexcusable. Mr. Speaker. according to media reports. the person who ended Deputy Goforths wonderful life. struggled with mental illness for quite some time. We absolutely have to do more to ensure that societys most dangerous weapons stay out of the hands of the most mentally or emotionally unstable persons. It is important that we do this because it is estimated that 61.5 million Americans experience mental illness in a given year. This is why we must. as a nation. attach as much importance and provide the same level of resources for mental health as we do for physical health. We can no longer afford to ignore the struggles of nearly 20 percent of the population and fail to provide adequate treatment and services that could alleviate some of that struggle and prevent horrific events like the one that claimed the life of Deputy Darren Goforth. Mr. Speaker. I stand here today mourning the loss of Deputy Darren Goforth but I have hope. I have hope that out of this tragedy we will be moved to act to make this country safer for the men and women who risk their lives to keep their communities safe. Mr. Speaker. I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in honor of Deputy Darren Goforth. an extraordinary human being and a shining example of what is meant when we remember him and say: "he was one of Houstons finest." IRAN