Blacks commit 'bias' crimes against Mexicans in NYC

[DarrinS]

Strangely, I can't find the word "race" or "racism" in this story.


http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100816/D9HKHJ480.html

Attacks against Mexicans inflame tensions in NYC





NEW YORK (AP) - When Rodolfo Olmedo was dragged down by a group of men shouting anti-Mexican epithets and bashed over the head with a wooden stick on the street outside his home, he instinctively covered his face to keep from getting disfigured. Blood filled his mouth.

"I wanted to scream, but I couldn't because of the beating they were giving me," said the 25-year-old baker. Nearly five months later, he is still taking pain medications for his head injuries.

Recorded by a store's surveillance camera, the assault was the first of 11 suspected anti-Hispanic bias attacks in a Staten Island neighborhood, re-igniting years-old tensions between blacks and Hispanics in New York City's most remote borough.

Residents of Port Richmond - where an influx of newcomers from Latin America over the past decade has transformed the community - alternately blame the attacks on the economy, unemployment and the debate over Arizona's immigration law.

And although most of the suspects were described as young black men and investigated for bias crimes, a grand jury has indicted only one of seven people arrested on a hate-crime charge.

But Isaias Lozano, a day laborer, said he knows why he was attacked and robbed in December by "morenos" - the Spanish word he uses to describe his black neighbors.

"They hate us because we're Mexicans," he said while sitting at El Centro del Inmigrante, a center for immigrant day workers. "They aren't robbing just anybody."

Across the United States, the immigration debate plays out in suspicion of outsiders and sometimes escalates into violence. Port Richmond, tucked in a corner of New York City that most visitors never see, is wrestling with the perennial question of how people from different backgrounds can live together and get along.

Some community leaders here blame the attacks on hoodlums preying on day laborers, who are perceived as easy targets because they often carry cash home from work. Others say the Arizona law is stirring up a climate of intolerance, even these thousands of miles away.

"It's a cascading effect," said the Rev. Terry Troia, a board member of El Centro del Inmigrante. "There are negative impulses being put out there both nationally and locally. People on the fringe catch a piece of that, and they are acting on it."

Some of Port Richmond's black residents assert that newcomers' presence touches a nerve. Mike Mason, 47, a teacher who works in New Jersey, said the arrival of Mexican immigrants had changed the texture of the community.

"America has got to do something as far as immigration goes," he said. "In the morning you can see the streets lined with undocumented workers ... That's always in the back of people's minds."

Staten Island is a relatively isolated, suburban-like borough of New York City. It is home to nearly 500,000 people, most of whom live in detached homes instead of apartments, need cars to get around and a ferry to get across New York Harbor to Manhattan.

Between 2000 and 2008, the number of Hispanics living on the island grew roughly 40 percent, according to Census bureau statistics analyzed by City University of New York's Latino Data Project, with much of that growth coming from the Mexican community.

Many of those began to coalesce around the Port Richmond neighborhood, which had long been predominantly black and low-income. The neighborhood's main commercial thoroughfare, once marked by empty storefronts, suddenly came alive with Mexican businesses selling pinatas, bars playing Spanish-language heavy metal, and grocers stocking chilies and tomatillos. The neighborhood developed a new nickname: "Little Mexico."

Mexicans soon began reporting that they were attacked by their black neighbors.

One organization documented 21 assaults against day laborers one summer in 2003. When a day laborer was viciously stabbed and killed two years later, neighbors quickly blamed the black community, until reputed Latin Kings gang members were charged with the man's death.

In recent months, police have deployed additional foot and mounted patrols, a command post and Mexican-born officers to distribute bilingual fliers with safety tips. The FBI joined in creating a task force to look into civil rights abuses in the neighborhood. Residents have aired grievances at numerous town hall meetings.

On a recent summer day, Nicomedes Rocha said she was afraid of being targeted by blacks while walking on the street.

"I have to watch on both sides," said the 33-year-old dishwasher at a local taqueria, who was on her way to work carrying a shoulder bag. "They think I carry money."

But some black residents said it was wrong to talk about bias as the main motive for the attacks.

David Johnson, an amateur boxer who has lived in the neighborhood for seven years, blamed the incidents on drug addicts looking to rob people for cash to feed their habits. "They would do that to anybody," he said. "To jump toward bias issues is out of whack."

Rodolfo Olmedo was beaten and robbed of his cell phone and wallet on April 5. Four suspects have been arrested and charged; police investigated it as a bias crime, but a grand jury indicted the suspects only on robbery and gang assault charges.

William Smith, a spokesman for the Staten Island district attorney's office, said the attack on Olmedo was retaliatory. The suspects, he said, believed Olmedo had been involved in an earlier altercation.

Olmedo, who was hospitalized for five days and was briefly in a coma, contends he was targeted because of his ethnicity, not because he had been involved in a related incident or because the suspects wanted to steal his belongings.

After all, Olmedo said, they didn't take an expensive watch that he was wearing.

"It was," he said in Spanish, "a hate crime."

[LnGrrrR]

Seems like a "hate crime" to me. I wouldn't be surprised to see more aggression from various groups towards hispanics... I mean, the hispanic population is rising rapidly, to the point where it's estimated they'll jump from 15% of the population now to 30% in 2050 (blacks have about 15% as well, and are expected to maintain that number.) That's going to piss off some people, both in the majority and minority.

[Spurminator]

Of all the things I can think of to be angry or curious about in this story, the lack of the word "race" or "racism" scores pretty low on the list.

[DarrinS]

Of all the things I can think of to be angry or curious about in this story, the lack of the word "race" or "racism" scores pretty low on the list.


Do you think the word would be there if this were white on brown 'bias' crime?

[Winehole23]

In one case there was a federal hate crime charge, in another robbery and gang assault charges. Fairly serious and substantial results, apparently.

Is there some kind of problem with that, DarrinS?

[Winehole23]

Atmosphere and general tenor of the post-mortem isn't to your liking?

[Spurminator]

I don't know. "Bias crime" is a perfectly normal and often-used alternative for "Hate crime," a phrase which was also used in the article.

I guess it just doesn't get my white man angst boiling. I think the article is pretty clear about what's going on.

Would you have posted it if it contained the word "racism"? Or does political correctness get you more worked up than hate crimes?

[Winehole23]

Racial sensitivities, offended again. Pobrecito.

[DarrinS]

I don't know. "Bias crime" is a perfectly normal and often-used alternative for "Hate crime," a phrase which was also used in the article.

I guess it just doesn't get my white man angst boiling. I think the article is pretty clear about what's going on.

Would you have posted it if it contained the word "racism"?



I've heard the term hate crime, but not 'bias crime'.


The article also seems to imply that these types of crimes may be on the rise because of Arizona's immigration law.

Maybe if we actually enforced our immigration laws, these types of crimes would be more rare?

[DarrinS]

Atmosphere and general tenor of the post-mortem isn't to your liking?


I think it's a bunch of white-washed (no pun intended) P.C. crap.

Even the teacher quoted in the article is overly P.C.




Some of Port Richmond's black residents assert that newcomers' presence touches a nerve. Mike Mason, 47, a teacher who works in New Jersey, said the arrival of Mexican immigrants had changed the texture of the community.

"America has got to do something as far as immigration goes," he said. "In the morning you can see the streets lined with undocumented workers ... That's always in the back of people's minds."




Do people really say "undocumented workers" in their casual conversations?

[Winehole23]

Hey Darrin, do you have any idea who's winning the immigration enforcement Olympics right now, or how he did it?

[Spurminator]

I've heard the term hate crime, but not 'bias crime'.


http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB1000142405274870424900457538523300784 7238.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/09/02/2009-09-02_series_of_bias_crimes_in_bx.html

Maybe it's a Northeastern thing.

[Winehole23]

I think it's a bunch of white-washed (no pun intended) P.C. crap.

Even the teacher quoted in the article is overly P.C.Ironic. I think you're too PC.





Do people really say "undocumented workers" in their casual conversations?You just did. I wonder why? :wow

[Phenomanul]

I guess the issue the OP tried to point out was the oddness of the fact that the word "race" or any of its derivatives wasn't used.... It almost seems deliberate considering the length of the article. Almost as if the editor felt compeled to make sure the term wasn't used...

That maybe the PC of making sure that the Black Americans in those neighborhoods would not be labeled as being racists needed to be conveyed.

[Spurminator]

Well this is likely to lead to 5 pages of arguing but there is some disagreement on whether or not "Hispanic" is a race. The U.S. Census kept it separate this year. That could be one of the standards driving the way these articles are worded.

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/people/a_race.html

What's more, the article (in the title no less) specifies "Mexicans" as the victims of these attacks, and Mexican definitely isn't a race.

[Winehole23]

That maybe the PC of making sure that the Black Americans in those neighborhoods would not be labeled as being racists needed to be conveyed. Blacks only should be labeled as racists. Got it.

[Phenomanul]

Blacks only should be labeled as racists. Got it.

Got what? I didn't exactly opine on the matter...

[Winehole23]

You sure as shit did.

Contra all the PC bullshit "it needed to be conveyed" not just to the perps, but to all the "Black Americans" in his neighborhood, that they are racist.

[SnakeBoy]

Darrin blacks, and hispanics for that matter, don't have power in this country and therefore they cannot be racist. So there is no reason to use the term racism in the article unless they had gone on to make the point that this type of interracial violence was yet another example of the white man keeping blacks down and forcing them to resort to violence.

[Winehole23]

A message of racial uplift and consciousness raising you might say.

[balli]

So the sniveling moron op feels that hate-crime prosecutions should be wielded more liberally? Or is he just pissed that black men didn't get shit on by the AP?

[Phenomanul]

Just so that you don't feel the need to speculate any further... I believe people of all races are capable of being intolerant of the other races. And that being in the "majority" or of the "minority" is irrelevant to that concept. In other words, racial intolerance is openly rampant amongst all the races.

Whether the "bias" leads to hate crimes, xenophobia, any form of racial discrimination, verbal prejudice, etc... is irrelevant as well... most of it is still rooted in racial intolerance of some sort.

Spare me your derision... racist jerk! :lol

[coyotes_geek]

The whole hate-crime gambit is BS to begin with. Just let crime be crime and prosecute it that way no matter what races are involved.

[Winehole23]

So there is no reason to use the term racism in the article unless they had gone on to make the point that this type of interracial violence was yet another example of the white man keeping blacks down and forcing them to resort to violence.Except, that's not what the previous article reported, either.

Why you keep backing Darrin's trumped up, oh so racially concerned bullcorn is a bit of a mystery to me.

[Winehole23]

The whole hate-crime gambit is BS to begin with. Just let crime be crime and prosecute it that way no matter what races are involved.Agree 100%.

The underlying actions of "hate crimes" are mostly well defined in the criminal law already.

[Phenomanul]

You sure as shit did.

Contra all the PC bullshit "it needed to be conveyed" not just to the perps, but to all the "Black Americans" in his neighborhood, that they are racist.

Clarification... I didn't slander any racial group in favor of the other... just the manner in which the article seemed oddly 'precautionary'.

[Winehole23]

You were expecting maybe an anti-racist tapdance?

[Phenomanul]

Agree 100%.

The underlying actions of "hate crimes" are mostly well defined in the criminal law already.

So ignore the frequencies at which migrant families are being targeted and by proxy the notion that the problem might or might not have any racial overtones? That isn't the solution either.

[SnakeBoy]

Why you keep backing Darrin's trumped up, oh so racially concerned bullcorn is a bit of a mystery to me.

Well I've been encouraging Parker2112 also. Dog Days.

[Phenomanul]

You were expecting maybe an anti-racist tapdance?

No... just an overt admission that PCness has gone too far... especially when you're suggesting that looking the other way and pretending that these 'racial' problems don't exist is a better perspective than facing the reality that they do....

[Phenomanul]

Anyways I'm off to work the night shift... peace out.

[Winehole23]

That awful Parker2112. You bastard. :lol

[Winehole23]

No... just an overt admission that PCness has gone too far... especially when you're suggesting that looking the other way and pretending that these 'racial' problems don't exist is a better perspective than facing the reality that they do....I don't think I suggested any such thing.

[Winehole23]

The very existence of hate crime legislation is evidence of PCness gone too far IMO.

[DarrinS]

Darrin blacks, and hispanics for that matter, don't have power in this country and therefore they cannot be racist. So there is no reason to use the term racism in the article unless they had gone on to make the point that this type of interracial violence was yet another example of the white man keeping blacks down and forcing them to resort to violence.

Fail





Just so that you don't feel the need to speculate any further... I believe people of all races are capable of being intolerant of the other races. And that being in the "majority" or of the "minority" is irrelevant to that concept. In other words, racial intolerance is openly rampant amongst all the races.



Win

[Red Hawk #21]

I live in Staten Island, New York. You know it's a damn shame that this has gotten this much out of hand. I live about 5 minutes away from Port Richmond, and I usually pass by the area every once in a while. The place is filled with Mexicans, Mexican culture, and Mexican music. I've seen and heard a lot of people who are very angry because they feel that the Mexicans just came and took over that neighborhood. But still there is just absolutely no reason for what's going on.

It's been a trend for teens and young adults(Usually gang members) to just go to Port Richmond at night and beat up any Mexican they catch outside. I've personally seen this about 3 or 4 times. The beatings are savage and for no reason. TBH most of the time it's black kids who do it but a lot of times their accompanied with white kids or even other Hispanics. At first, these beatings happened every once in a while but this summer these thugs really took it to another level. Mexicans were just getting beat up left and right. It's died down though because cops are swarming the Port Richmond area now. It's crazy.

[Homeland Security]

You can tell the parts of cities where Mexicans have pushed the blacks out, when one day you look at what used to be a really bad slum, but now all the houses are fixed up and painted (bright colors), and the lawns are groomed.

[Marcus Bryant]

What a stupid fucking country.

[ChumpDumper]

So Darrin is for Mexicans in this thread?

[Winehole23]

Hard to tell. He seems to think reporting on the prosecution of these particular black folks for assault and hate crime violations amounts to a liberal scheme to cover the tracks of black racism.

[DarrinS]

So Darrin is for Mexicans in this thread?

I'm against crime, whether it's perpetrated against "undocumented" workers or against American citizens.

[Blake]

Strangely, I can't find the word "race" or "racism" in this story.


http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100816/D9HKHJ480.html

Attacks against Mexicans inflame tensions in NYC

Strangely, the title of your thread is not the same title of the article nor were Blacks found to have committed 'bias' crimes in this piece.

well done at being a dumbfuck.

[DarrinS]

Strangely, the title of your thread is not the same title of the article ....


Actually, I posted the EXACT title in the OP and, just so you know, I can title my own threads any way I fucking want to.




nor were Blacks found to have committed 'bias' crimes in this piece.

well done at being a dumbfuck



Well, the victims think otherwise.

And why don't you read the post by Red Hawk #21 who actually lives there.

[Homeland Security]

When it comes down to it, in the event of societal breakdown, Hispanics are going to start killing blacks left and right. White people will hardly have to join in -- just supply money, weapons, and logistical support.

The left wing been working really hard to foment more Anglo-Hispanic hatred with some success, but at the end of the day it just really can't compare.

The balance of the new government order can focus on wiping out homosexuals and other affluent urban liberals. Comandeering and redistributing their resources is vital to the economic program necessary to maintain popular support for the new regime.

[Winehole23]

^^^Manson-esque, with a distinctively bitter finish.

[DarrinS]

When it comes down to it, in the event of societal breakdown, Hispanics are going to start killing blacks left and right. White people will hardly have to join in -- just supply money, weapons, and logistical support.

The left wing been working really hard to foment more Anglo-Hispanic hatred with some success, but at the end of the day it just really can't compare.

The balance of the new government order can focus on wiping out homosexuals and other affluent urban liberals. Comandeering and redistributing their resources is vital to the economic program necessary to maintain popular support for the new regime.


Pathetic attempt at trollage.

[Winehole23]

Nm

[Blake]

Actually, I posted the EXACT title in the OP and, just so you know, I can title my own threads any way I fucking want to.


I clicked on your link again and still see nothing about Blacks committing crimes against Mexicans.

Of course you can lie any way you fucking want to. I'm not moderating, I'm just calling you a dumbfuck.



Well, the victims think otherwise.

The 'victim' in this case is claiming it was a racially motivated attack after the cops determined it was a retaliatory attack.

How do you figure that the victim knows for sure that he was attacked because of race?


And why don't you read the post by Red Hawk #21 who actually lives there.

I did.

What percent of crimes committed do you think are 'bias' crimes?

Why are you trying to 'bias' bait?

[Winehole23]

Why are you trying to 'bias' bait?Trying? When did DarrinS ever stop doing it?

[DarrinS]

This message is hidden because Blake is on your ignore list.




Cool. It works.

[Blake]

Cool. It works.


DarrinS commits 'bias' crime against Blake

[Ignignokt]

Hard to tell. He seems to think reporting on the prosecution of these particular black folks for assault and hate crime violations amounts to a liberal scheme to cover the tracks of black racism.

very plausible. Let's act coy to the fact that there's no racial heirarchy in victim status in this country.

[Blake]

very plausible. Let's act coy to the fact that there's no racial heirarchy in victim status in this country.

you think it's very plausible that there is a liberal scheme that covers the tracks of black racism that trickles all the way down into communities such as Port Richmond?

do you have any stats regarding racial hierarchy in victim status in this country?

[Spurminator]

If this is an effort to cover up instances of black racism, it's not a very good one, seeing as it's an AP article about blacks beating up Mexicans.

[DarrinS]

I clicked on your link again and still see nothing about Blacks, Mexicans, 'bias crimes', or New York City

[Ignignokt]

you think it's very plausible that there is a liberal scheme that covers the tracks of black racism that trickles all the way down into communities such as Port Richmond?

do you have any stats regarding racial hierarchy in victim status in this country?

Why does a scheme have to exist for that idea to be plausible? why do stats have to exist covering this topic?

Redo question please.

[Blake]

I may have not worded it correctly.

I do not see anything concrete in that article you posted about Blacks committing 'bias' crimes against Mexicans in NYC.

Apparently your ignore is broken along with your reading comprehension.

[Ignignokt]

If this is an effort to cover up instances of black racism, it's not a very good one, seeing as it's an AP article about blacks beating up Mexicans.

So a poor effort is an effort?

[Blake]

Why does a scheme have to exist for that idea to be plausible? why do stats have to exist covering this topic?

Redo question please.

What makes it very plausible to you?

I figured you might have information on such that makes it such a plauisble idea.

[Blake]

So a poor effort is an effort?

If it's really an effort.

[Ignignokt]

What makes it very plausible to you?

I figured you might have information on such that makes it such a plauisble idea.

Do you not know any thing about progressive racial dogma?? You must be acting coy, if this a troll job, good effort.

[Ignignokt]

not necessarily dogma, but their viewpoint on racism. Many progressives and liberals believe that racism exists only when a majority has hegemony over the minority. Any type of anger reflected back at the majority or outside group like asians is just a response for oppression.

[DarkReign]

*yawn*

I never seem to think about race as often as some.

[Ignignokt]

*yawn*

I never seem to think about race as often as some.

lol whitey

[Blake]

Do you not know any thing about progressive racial dogma??

not much. Explain it, how it relates to this story and how it makes a liberal scheme to cover up black racism very plausible, please.

[ElNono]

Talking about PC, this is a satire that I think you could never see in American TV...

Unfortunately, it's for spanish speakers only:

q0AhzaqoZgw

Micky Vainilla reminds me of a few posters in here. :lol

[Bender]

just the manner in which the article seemed oddly 'precautionary'.
that was my impression too. if a group of whites were the attackers, the article would sure as shit would have "racial" and "hate crime" all over the article.

[Oh, Gee!!]

maybe it's because Cristian Salazar is a Tio Tomas?

[Phenomanul]

Talking about PC, this is a satire that I think you could never see in American TV...

Unfortunately, it's for spanish speakers only:

q0AhzaqoZgw

Micky Vainilla reminds me of a few posters in here. :lol

LOL at the revisionist cinderella story... :lol

[Ignignokt]

not much. Explain it, how it relates to this story and how it makes a liberal scheme to cover up black racism very plausible, please.

You seem to want to employ scheme because then I have to argue wether a whole group of people are deliberately out of volition orchestrating this. You're either doing this to be dishonest or your trying to be adverserial. Do white people orchestrate together and scheme white flight, or is it an impulse that is reactionary based on their viewpoint?

The whole "Scheme" description is a deliberate attempt to ridicule and not properly discuss the issue which has led me to conclude that you're not a serious poster.

The story is about black on mexican crime. The question has to be asked if this was white on mexican crime, would the story be any different. Does the the journalist viewpoint on racial conflict and dogma affect his reporting? These are legitimate questions that would be posed in any journalism class, so i don't see why you can't take these questions seriously.

[Winehole23]

The question has to be asked if this was white on mexican crime, would the story be any different. A real journalistic take would find the relevant counterexamples and, you know, actually compare them. You're either too lazy or too dishonest to do so.

[rjv]

i'm having a hard time here trying to determine if the spin being built here is that the media is pro-black, anti-mexican or anti-white ?

[Ignignokt]

A real journalistic take would find the relevant counterexamples and, you know, actually compare them. You're either too lazy or too dishonest to do so.

You're too dishonest in trying to paint me as claiming to be a journalist. You want relevant examples, okay, here fine.

We could also dismiss the political climate and race relations as they are too and act like idiots, like you're doing.



written in the philadelphia enquirer



Opinion


Hispanics in the crosshairs
By William C. Kashatus
January 25, 2010
On July 12, 2008, six white teenagers confronted Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, a 25-year-old father of three and an illegal immigrant from Mexico, in an alley in Shenandoah, Pa. screaming racial slurs at him, the teens viciously kicked and beat him. He died in intensive care two days later.

Two of the six assailants - 17-year-old Brandon Piekarsky and 18-year-old Derrick Donchak - were acquitted of the most serious charges by a Schuylkill County jury, but they were charged with federal hate crimes last month. They could receive life in prison if convicted.

What makes the Shenandoah case even more disturbing is that three of the borough's police officers have been charged with obstructing the investigation into Ramirez's death. Police Chief Matthew Nestor, Lt. William Moyer, and Officer Jason Hayes are accused of helping the defendants dispose of crucial evidence, including the shoes used to deliver the final, fatal kick to Ramirez's head.

The Shenandoah case is not an isolated incident. It's part of a frightening national pattern of anti-Latino hate crimes in the United States, which has paralleled growing resentment of illegal immigrants. Hate crimes against Latinos have surged 40 percent nationwide since 2003, according to recent FBI statistics. (The statistics are thought to undercount total hate crimes, but nevertheless indicate real trends.)

Of the 1,347 victims attacked in this country because of their ethnicity or national origin in 2008, 62 percent were Hispanic. Though the most common offense was intimidation, there were at least nine murders and nonnegligent manslaughters. And convictions were rare.

Many of the hate crimes take place in towns like Shenandoah, where there has been a significant increase in the Latino population over the last decade, and where Hispanics are competing with white workers for jobs in a struggling economy.

Some of the towns are famous for having adopted harsh anti-immigrant ordinances. Hazleton, Pa., for example, approved an ordinance in 2006 making it illegal for individuals and businesses to aid undocumented workers, punishing landlords who rent or lease to them, suspending the licenses of businesses that hire them, and making English the city's official language. Similar measures targeting Hispanics have been passed in Riverside, N.J.; Palm Bay, Fla.; and San Bernardino, Calif. The measures echo the community-driven Repatriation Movement of the 1930s, which forced Mexicans to return to their native country.

Other towns have been hotbeds of white supremacist activity. Hemet, Calif., for example, was the scene of a vicious hate crime in November, when four reputed white supremacist gang members knocked a Latino man unconscious and then repeatedly stomped on him and kicked him in the head. The victim suffered permanent brain damage and has been placed in a long-term-care facility.

The same month, in Patchogue, N.Y., seven teens, six of them white, decided to "go fight a Mexican." They ended up attacking an Ecuadorean immigrant, who died of a fatal stab wound.

According to investigators, both attacks were random, unprovoked, and motivated purely by racial hatred.

Still other American towns have struggled with cases of racial intimidation. In Avon Park, Fla., Jose Gonzales, a U.S. citizen and mechanic, had his car and garage destroyed by an arsonist who spray-painted "F- Puerto Rico" on his house in September 2007. The first documented anti-Latino attack of 2009 occurred on New Year's Day, when a Vallejo, Calif., motorist was arrested for gunning his vehicle toward a crowd of Latino day laborers.

Latinos are inevitably the most convenient targets for such hate crimes. Illegal immigration is still a hot-button issue, and many of the most fervent immigration opponents are either unable or unwilling to distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants.

Underlying this disturbing trend is the reality that the white establishment that once dominated education, business, and politics in this country is in decline. Latinos, meanwhile, are the fastest-growing segment of the population.

Instead of resenting Latinos, the white mainstream must learn to share power with them and other minority groups. It's the only way we can move forward as a nation and capitalize on the social, economic, and political benefits of our diversity.
__________________________________________________ _______
WILLIAM C. KASHATUS is a professional historian and educator who holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. Kashatus has written for the New York Times, Philadelphia Daily News, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, among other publications. His previous baseball books include September Swoon: Richie Allen, the '64 Phillies and Racial Integration; Mike Schmidt; Connie Mack's '29 Triumph; and One-Armed Wonder: Pete Gray, Wartime Baseball and the American Dream.William C. Kashatus is an educator, historian and author.
Philadelphia Inquirer article at: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/82575012.html

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed by HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com) without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

Hate crimes against blacks, religious groups rise
Updated 11/24/2009 11:53 AM | Comments 1,293 | Recommend 39 E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions |


BIAS VICTIMS

There were 9,691 victims of hate crimes reported to the FBI in 2008. The victims were targeted because of bias against the following:

Race / 4,934

Religion / 1,732

Sexual orientation / 1,706

Ethnicity, national origin / 1,226

Disability / 85

Multiple biases / 8

Source: FBI




By Marisol Bello, USA TODAY
The number of crimes against black people and members of religious groups increased in 2008, making up a growing share of incidents motivated by bias, the FBI reported Monday.
The number of crimes against black people and members of religious groups increased in 2008, making up a growing share of incidents motivated by bias, the FBI reported Monday.

FAITH & REASON: Attacks up against Jews, Catholics
Those categories accounted for 56% of the 7,783 hate crimes reported in 2008. Overall, hate crimes increased 2% from 2007.

The election of the first black president and hot-button issues such as abortion and gay marriage contributed to the spikes, anti-bias groups say.

"There is this kind of extremism going on," says Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP Washington bureau. He says Obama's election and the recession led to a backlash against blacks as some people look for someone to blame for hard economic times.

The number of attacks on blacks increased 8% to 2,876, accounting for seven of every 10 race-motivated crimes.

Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University-San Bernardino, says it is hard to draw conclusions from the FBI data because the number of agencies reporting varies each year and some do better than others at classifying hate crimes.

Most hate crimes, almost four in 10, involved property damage and vandalism. Almost three in 10 involve intimidation of a person. Three in 10 are assaults.

Hate crimes based on sexual orientation increased 3% to 1,297,although the number of people victimized went up 13% to 1,706.

Geo Vaughn, 23, of Queens, N.Y., reported to police that he was beaten in August 2008 in Manhattan by a gang of young men shouting anti-gay epithets. He says lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people are more vulnerable now because they are increasingly in the public eye in the debate over equal rights, including a California vote that overturned a new law allowing same-sex marriage.

"It gives our attackers more drive to hurt us," he says.

Two men have been charged with a hate crime against Vaughn.

Hate crimes based on religion rose 9% to 1,519. Most, 67%, were against Jews. Incidents involving Catholics increased 23% to 75.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, says traditional Catholics have become more vocal against abortion and gay marriage, making them targets for those who disagree with them.

"It will probably get worse," he says. "These issues are not going away."

[Ignignokt]

was the james byrd reporting listed as a bias crime.. or was the reporting ambigous as to wether it was racial?? LOL.. you guys never cease to amaze me.

[Ignignokt]

i'm having a hard time here trying to determine if the spin being built here is that the media is pro-black, anti-mexican or anti-white ?

Neither of those descriptions are accurate and you're presenting a false dilemna.

[Ignignokt]

The Duke Lacrosse case. need i say more...

[Spurminator]

i'm having a hard time here trying to determine if the spin being built here is that the media is pro-black, anti-mexican or anti-white ?

Basically, the third one.

I freely acknowledge the media is PC, and it's more sensationalist (and I guess better for business) to over-racialize white crimes against minorities than minority-on-minority or minority-on-white. I don't know why, but I also don't feel like it's an attack on me as a white non-criminal. The fact that this article did not use the word "race" really doesn't leave anything about the story uncertain. I don't feel like they're hiding something. At worst, you have a situation where editors chose their words a little too carefully.

I just question the motivation for getting worked up about this stuff. It's like when you hear a white person say, "Black people call each other '######' all the time, so why is it so bad when white people say it?" I mean, do you want to say it? Do you feel you're being repressed somehow because it's socially unacceptable for you to say "######?"

So what's the problem here? Are you afraid blacks are going to be allowed to go genocidal while the media ignores it?

[rjv]

Neither of those descriptions are accurate and you're presenting a false dilemna.

i'm presenting sarcasm and you're presenting both hyperbole and an inability to differentiate between argument and an off the cuff remark. unless, you somehow see sardonic observations as syllogisms.

[Ignignokt]

Basically, the third one.

I freely acknowledge the media is PC, and it's more sensationalist (and I guess better for business) to over-racialize white crimes against minorities than minority-on-minority or minority-on-white. I don't know why, but I also don't feel like it's an attack on me as a white non-criminal. The fact that this article did not use the word "race" really doesn't leave anything about the story uncertain. I don't feel like they're hiding something. At worst, you have a situation where editors chose their words a little too carefully.

I just question the motivation for getting worked up about this stuff. It's like when you hear a white person say, "Black people call each other '######' all the time, so why is it so bad when white people say it?" I mean, do you want to say it? Do you feel you're being repressed somehow because it's socially unacceptable for you to say "######?"

So what's the problem here? Are you afraid blacks are going to be allowed to go genocidal while the media ignores it?

We should get worked up because the media's job is to remain objective. Atleast those that aren't in oppinion or commentary.

[Bender]

good examples posted by ig.

If whites are the attackers, there will most likely be "racial" and "hate crime" splashed all over the articles. When blacks are the attackers, the article in the OP tones down the event as a "bias crime".

anybody that thinks this isn't so has got their head in the sand, or someplace else.

[rjv]

Basically, the third one.

I freely acknowledge the media is PC, and it's more sensationalist (and I guess better for business) to over-racialize white crimes against minorities than minority-on-minority or minority-on-white. I don't know why, but I also don't feel like it's an attack on me as a white non-criminal. The fact that this article did not use the word "race" really doesn't leave anything about the story uncertain. I don't feel like they're hiding something. At worst, you have a situation where editors chose their words a little too carefully.

I just question the motivation for getting worked up about this stuff. It's like when you hear a white person say, "Black people call each other '######' all the time, so why is it so bad when white people say it?" I mean, do you want to say it? Do you feel you're being repressed somehow because it's socially unacceptable for you to say "######?"

So what's the problem here? Are you afraid blacks are going to be allowed to go genocidal while the media ignores it?

it's sort of like being PC about PC

[Ignignokt]

good examples posted by ig.

If whites are the attackers, there will most likely be "racial" and "hate crime" splashed all over the articles. When blacks are the attackers, the article in the OP tones down the event as a "bias crime".

anybody that thinks this isn't so has got their head in the sand, or someplace else.

Actually, those people like Blake and winehole rather just paint people who raise this issue as reactionary or bitter white bigots. They don't really care about wether the issue is legit.

And i don't think they will concede on these examples unless we can reproduce the exact same conditions to the tee, to the same number of accomplices, same journalist, same location, but insert whitey. They will just fillibuster and evade the inevitable conclusion that media does have a bias when it comes to hate crimes reporting.

They will eventually admit this and then criticize their opponents for being butthurt or steamed up about nothing. That's their motto, along with offering nothing but logical fallacies and cynical one liners.

ex A by Spurminator..

So what's the problem here? Are you afraid blacks are going to be allowed to go genocidal while the media ignores it?

Obviously they will finally concede and wish to bury the issue. It is all about being PC about being PC.

Spineless pieces of shit tbh.

[Höfner]

Bias Crime is probably the most politically correct term yet.

[rjv]

i'm just wondering that if PC is wrong, then is being PC about PC wrong? or are we just following the rabbit down the hole? maybe foucault is the madhatter (or derrida) and we can ask him what this entire decronstuctionalist spin on the truth represents about both the news and readers.

[Blake]

You seem to want to employ scheme because then I have to argue wether a whole group of people are deliberately out of volition orchestrating this. You're either doing this to be dishonest or your trying to be adverserial. Do white people orchestrate together and scheme white flight, or is it an impulse that is reactionary based on their viewpoint?

The whole "Scheme" description is a deliberate attempt to ridicule and not properly discuss the issue which has led me to conclude that you're not a serious poster.

The story is about black on mexican crime. The question has to be asked if this was white on mexican crime, would the story be any different. Does the the journalist viewpoint on racial conflict and dogma affect his reporting? These are legitimate questions that would be posed in any journalism class, so i don't see why you can't take these questions seriously.

I had thought you were saying a scheme was very plausible. Misinterpretation on my part.

I think it's funny though that you are asking others to take your questions seriously.

[Spurminator]

We should get worked up because the media's job is to remain objective. Atleast those that aren't in oppinion or commentary.

People pick and choose which examples of alleged partiality the media they're going to get worked up about. Seems silly to choose an example that doesn't fail to illustrate any aspect of the story to the objective reader. The article states that the alleged attackers are predominantly black and that the victims are predominantly Hispanic. If it left either of these out, I think your outrage would be more justified. But it didn't.

How would you re-write the article to better illustrate what is really happening?

[Ignignokt]

People pick and choose which examples of alleged partiality the media they're going to get worked up about. Seems silly to choose an example that doesn't fail to illustrate any aspect of the story to the objective reader. The article states that the alleged attackers are predominantly black and that the victims are predominantly Hispanic. If it left either of these out, I think your outrage would be more justified. But it didn't.

How would you re-write the article to better illustrate what is really happening?

HOw so? Nobody is mad about leaving out the facts about the perpetrators, just that this article is handling the issue with kid gloves for the apparent fact that it's a downtrodden minority. The reporting here is clearly biased and is an example of subjective reporting.

[Bender]

How would you re-write the article to better illustrate what is really happening?
yeah, so the article might be ok on it's own, if other articles always used "bias crime". The problem is that IF it was white guys doing the perpetrating... the article MOST LIKELY would have use more sensationalistic language... for example, "racial crime" or "hate crime".

anybody that denies that is clueless.

[ChumpDumper]

How would you re-write the article to better illustrate what is really happening?

[rjv]

here is an interesting find from the FBI site:

A hate crime, also known as a bias crime, is a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_02/html/web/offreported/02-nhatecrime12.html

[ChumpDumper]

yeah, so the article might be ok on it's own, if other articles always used "bias crime". The problem is that IF it was white guys doing the perpetrating... the article MOST LIKELY would have use more sensationalistic language... for example, "racial crime" or "hate crime".

anybody that denies that is clueless.I suppose if that particular writer used different terms for different groups (maybe that has been discussed), you'd have a case.

[rjv]

and this from the assistant DA himself: " Over the last week, the Assistant District Attorney in charge of bias crimes for my office presented evidence to a grand jury in the case involving the assault and robbery of Rodolfo Olmedo," District Attorney Daniel Donovan said in a release. "We offered evidence in support of, and asked the jurors to consider that these facts satisfied the statutory elements required by law to prove that these crimes were motivated by bias."

http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2010/04/grand_jury_indicts_4_in_port_r.html

[Blake]

The reporting here is clearly biased and is an example of subjective reporting.

bias crime!

[Ignignokt]

People pick and choose which examples of alleged partiality the media they're going to get worked up about. Seems silly to choose an example that doesn't fail to illustrate any aspect of the story to the objective reader. The article states that the alleged attackers are predominantly black and that the victims are predominantly Hispanic. If it left either of these out, I think your outrage would be more justified. But it didn't.

How would you re-write the article to better illustrate what is really happening?

I would raise the question of racial tension and why the crimes unit doesn't label it as hate crime instead of bias crime.

[rjv]

I would raise the question of racial tension and why the crimes unit doesn't label it as hate crime instead of bias crime.

sounds to me like the reporter used the vernacular not uncommon to the crime in that region. even other reports have used 'hate' and 'bias' and the assistant DA that is quoted above specifically used the term "bias crimes".

[DarrinS]

"bias" is quite the euphemism for racial hatred

[rjv]

apparently there are several "bias crime " units throughout the country. the reason being that the police offers are too look for or investigate 'bias' motives.

[Spurminator]

I would raise the question of racial tension and why the crimes unit doesn't label it as hate crime instead of bias crime.

That's what opinion columns are for.

[Winehole23]

Actually, those people like Blake and winehole rather just paint people who raise this issue as reactionary or bitter white bigots.Some are, some aren't. The issue can be legit and people can raise it in bad faith at the same time.


They don't really care about wether the issue is legit.Whether the racial sensitivities of newsrooms and editorial boards are biased? Sure, it's legit to complain about this.

It's also legit to question the bona fides of some of those who complain, based on the totality of what they post here.


And i don't think they will concede on these examples unless we can reproduce the exact same conditions to the tee, to the same number of accomplices, same journalist, same location, but insert whitey. They will just fillibuster and evade the inevitable conclusion that media does have a bias when it comes to hate crimes reporting.Your own examples amount to little more than anecdote, so the conclusion is hardly inevitable, but it seems plausible enough to me.


Obviously they will finally concede and wish to bury the issue. It is all about being PC about being PC.It's your own "more PC than thou" conceit that really grates.

Conservatives used to mock PC: now they try to win the victim sweepstakes.

Exhibit A: Ignignokt

[Winehole23]

"bias" is quite the euphemism for racial hatredRacial hatred shouldn't be a crime.

[ploto]

It appears the OP chose a use of the AP article that had that headline, but others I found had a different headline:

Mexicans on Staten Island report rise in hate crimes

[Sisk]

It's only racist if it's white on (insert minority here).