JUSTICE NOT SERVED IN PENNSYLVANIA: When will we see justice?

AP reports that “Prosecutors called the beating death of an illegal immigrant from Mexico a hate crime, and they urged an all-white jury in Pennsylvania coal country to punish two white teenagers for their roles in the attack [of immigrant Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah, PA in July, 2008]. Instead, the jury found the teens innocent of all serious charges. . . .  Both [defendants] were convicted of simple assault . . . following a trial in which jurors were left to sort out the facts of an epithet-filled brawl that pitted popular football players against a 25-year-old Hispanic man, Luis Ramirez, who appeared willing to fight.”

 A jury in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania found the two defendants, Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak, accused of beating 25-year-old Luis Ramirez to death in July 2008 (for a link to an eyewitness account, click here), not guilty of the most serious charges.

The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund released the following in the wake of the verdict:

“Tonight there is no justice in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. The jury’s conclusion is an outrage. Luis Ramirez was brutally murdered. Witnesses testified that it was racially motivated as a result of hate and intolerance. In the week when Congress passed the Hate Crimes Act, this verdict underscores the importance of the passage of this Act. It is time for the Department of Justice to step in and bring justice to the Ramirez family and send a strong message that violence targeting immigrants will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” stated Henry Solano, MALDEF interim president and general counsel. In July 2008, Ramirez lost his life after he was knocked unconscious and kicked in the head by a group of Shenandoah teenagers who yelled racial epithets before and during the brutal beating. Witnesses overheard anti-Mexican and ethnic epithets shouted by his assailants. At trial one of the witnesses testified that one of Ramirez’s friends tried to stop the beating but one of the assailants said, “Tell your Mexican friends to get out of town, or you’ll be laying next to him.” Ramirez leaves behind his fiancée and their two young children. Brandon Piekarsky was charged with third-degree murder and Derrick Donchak was charged with aggravated assault. Both were charged with ethnic intimidation. “Luis’s death reflects a steady increase of hate crimes targeting Latinos. Since 2002, the FBI has documented a 40 percent increase in hate crimes committed against Latinos,” said Gladys Limón, MALDEF staff attorney. “This drastic rise of hate crimes against Latinos must be addressed by the new Administration and Congress.” Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives took a historic step forward and passed H.R. 1913, “Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act” by a vote of 249 to 175. The bill strengthens existing federal hate crime laws by authorizing the Department of Justice to assist local authorities in investigating and prosecuting certain bias-motivated crimes. MALDEF urges the Senate to act quickly and pass the bill. MALDEF will continue to work with the Ramirez family and the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure that the actions of the defendants and the death of Luis Ramirez is fully investigate as a hate crime.

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The sad truth is that, while there has been a lengthy debate over immigration reform (and the harsh attacks on immigrants from Mexico), hate crimes directed at Latinos generally — citizens as well as immigrants — have risen dramatically.  We can only hope that anti-Mexican hate crimes do not escalate with the latest venom being spead across the airwaves and blogosphere due to the “swine flu” outbreak.

KJ