Tag: hate crimes

30 Years After the Murder of Vincent Chin: Where do Asian Americans Stand?

Asian Americans gathered to discuss the legacy of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man whose tragic death 30 years ago served as a rallying point for pan-Asian American activists.

Immigrant Youth ‘Come Out’ As Undocumented, Push For Dream Act

A dozen young people publicly announced themselves to be undocumented Americans at a rally in New York’s Union Square on Friday.

Immigration Leaders Meet With U.S. Officials About Long Island Hate Crimes

Allegations of the mishandling of hate crime investigations within the Suffolk County Police Department are raising new concerns among immigration advocates who met with officials of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Family of Slain Ecuadorian Immigrant Fights Hate Crimes

On the two-year anniversary of José Sucuzhañay’s brutal murder in Brooklyn, his family and local leaders gathered to remember him and condemn anti-immigrant and anti-gay violence.

AudioStories

Immigrant Advocacy Groups Work to ‘Get Out the Vote’

Part of the effort is encouraging new citizens to represent those who can’t vote at the polls–the undocumented.

Mexican Immigrant from Staten Island Speaks Out About Dismissed Hate Crime Charges

After the State Island District Attorney threw out the case against his alleged attacker, Christian Vázquez claims he was misled by police investigators. But authorities say Vázquez didn’t tell them the whole story.

Fear a Way of Life for Many Hispanic Immigrants on Staten Island

The Hispanic community in Port Richmond has welcomed increased police presence on Castleton and Port Richmond Avenues, the epicenter of recent hate crimes on Staten Island.

Activists Push for Immigration Reform on Anniversary of Long Island Hate Crime

The badge that's part of an online campaign to remember Marcelo Lucero - Image: Long Island Wins.

The badge that’s part of an online campaign to remember Marcelo Lucero. (Image: Long Island Wins)

A year ago this Sunday, in the heady days following the election of President Barack Obama, a hate crime took place in Long Island that initially went mostly unnoticed: a gang of teenagers attacked and killed Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero, as part of what was later revealed to be a frequent activity for the youngsters “beaner jumping,” a slang term for attacking Latinos.

Thursday, there was big news in the case when one of the teenagers, Nicholas Hausch, pleaded guilty to gang assault and hate crime charges as part of deal in which he will testify against the other defendants. Meanwhile, relatives and friends of Lucero are preparing to remember him this Saturday with a vigil near the Patchogue train station, where he died. And Long Island Wins, a pro-immigration website, launched a blogging campaign asking other sites to post stories to “Remember Marcelo” and other victims of hate crimes.

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Report: Suffolk County Bred "Climate of Fear" for Latino Immigrants Over the Last Decade

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy first reaction to the killing of Marcelo Lucero was to minimize it, the report says. (Photo: Suffolk County)

County Executive Steve Levy's first reaction to the killing of Marcelo Lucero was to minimize it, the report says. (Photo: Suffolk County)

(*Post updated below.)

Suffolk County, N.Y., the suburban Long Island area where a gang of teenagers — most of them white — are accused of killing Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero last November, is described as a veritable hell for Latino immigrants in a new report to be released Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The civil rights organization sent a Spanish-speaking researcher to Suffolk County to interview over 70 Latino immigrants, plus local activists, small business owners and religious leaders. The picture that emerges in “Climate of Fear: Latino Immigrants in Suffolk County, N.Y.” is a disturbing one where some residents –especially white youngsters– assault or heckle immigrants on a regular basis; immigrants’ homes are the targets of attacks; police do nothing about the attacks while they harass Latinos over minor traffic violations or for standing on the street; and public officials fan the flames with over-the-top racism-tinged rhetoric.

This has been going on for about a decade, the report says.

(You can download the report at the SPLC site.)

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Hate Crime Killing of an Immigrant Becomes Symbol of Hope in New York

By Merry Pool, FI2W contributor

BROOKLYN, New York — The death of José Sucuzhañay, an Ecuadorian immigrant, who last December became the victim of a hate crime aimed at the Latino and LGBT communities, has turned from tragedy into a symbol of hope with the naming of a street in his honor.

On Saturday Aug. 1, representatives from the governments of Ecuador, New York City and the State of N.Y. along with police officers from Brooklyn’s 83rd Precinct and numerous family and friends, gathered for the unveiling of Jose Sucuzhañay Place, located at Bushwick Avenue and Kossuth Place. The corner marks the spot where, on December 7, 2008, the 31-year-old Ecuadorian who had come to the United States in 1998 was attacked with a bat and beer bottles while walking home arm in arm with his brother. Witnesses heard the aggressors yell anti-immigrant and homophobic slurs before they got into a car and drove away.

Watch City Council Christine Quinn speak at the ceremony:

José Lucero, the brother of Marcelo Lucero, another Ecuadorian who was also a victim of anti-immigrant hatred when he was stabbed to death on Long Island only a month before Sucuzhañay, said that while the street naming wouldn’t take away the pain of losing a brother, it would empower people who in the past have remained silent.

“More people are speaking out about abuse and injustice, they aren’t afraid,” he said.

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