Anti-immigrant sentiment grows into nationwide hate crimes

Final Call ^ | 5-21-06

[SJackson]

Anti-immigrant sentiment grows into nationwide hate crimes By Charlene Muhammad Updated May 16, 2006, 03:32 pm

 

Protesting students from across California march towards city hall in Los Angeles, Apr. 15. The march is dedicated to 14-year-old Anthony Soltero, who committed suicide after allegedly being threatened by a school official for participating in immigration protests. Photo: AP/World Wide Photos

LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com) - As nationwide pro-immigrant conferences, marches and rallies continue alongside the increasing debate over immigration reform legislation, anti-immigrant sentiments are transforming into hate crimes against immigrants, particularly Latinos.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently informed that some Latino officials, including California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have received hateful death threats. The announcement came in the midst of mass, nationwide immigrant rights marches, during which millions of Latino and other immigrants saturated the streets of major U.S. cities, including L.A., Chicago, Phoenix, Houston and San Francisco.

According to news reports, an aide to Lt. Gov. Bustamante recalled that he received a postcard that read, “All you dirty Mexicans should go back to Mexico. The only good Mexican is a dead Mexican.” In response, Mayor Villaraigosa stated that such threats come with the territory. The hateful sentiments are not exclusive to political officials. On Apr. 10, the Mariachi’s Mexican Bar and Grill in San Diego was vandalized and set on fire. The act was ruled a hate crime by police.

Half-a-million people were reported in attendance for the Immigration Reform Boycott demonstration in Chicago, Illinois, one of many throughout the country. Speakers for the day included Nation of Islam Minister Ishmael Muhammad (above) and Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez (middle). Photo: Steven Muhammad

Meanwhile, in Texas, two White teenagers charged with the sexual aggravated assault of a 16-year-old Latino boy will not face hate-crime charges. According to reports, 18-year-old David Henry Tuck and 17-year-old Keith Robert Turner allegedly dragged, sodomized with a plastic pipe, poured bleach onto, and stomped and beat the Latino youth, after he tried to kiss a 12-year-old White girl. If convicted of sexual assault, the teens face five years to life in prison, or the death penalty if the youth dies.

Hate crime activists note that media images play a major role in the proliferation and implementation of violent speech and acts against ethnic groups. They point to the video game “Border Patrol” as one of the latest image impact tools used to foster hate against Latino immigrants.

“Border Patrol”—deemed a racist, flash-based video game—portrays 88 Latino men, women and children running swiftly across a small blue strip of water under the image of a gun’s telescope. The players shoot at them as they try to “cross the border” and earn high points if they successfully hit pregnant women with children.

Armando Gudino, program director at the Pacifica Network’s KPFK/90.7 FM in Hollywood, Calif., said that it is important that everybody keep in mind that political socialization through the media and the way one acquires norms of behavior and thought patterns are inevitable.

Like other media watch groups and advocates, Mr. Gudino believes that media reporting will undoubtedly have an impact on the continuing culture of violence that people perpetuate as a result of what they see. That, in turn, he stated, leads to a welcoming environment, or lack thereof, for the new generation of migrants or immigrants that continue to come to this country.

Mr. Gudino labeled “Border Patrol” unacceptable, said it should be banned, and called for criminal liability against its creators.

“It’s atrocious, blatant racism and it’s no different than the cartoon that depicted the Prophet Muhammad as they did in Europe and no different than the cartoons in slavery that depicted African Americans being lynched. It also illustrates the level of ignorance on the part of those committing these crimes and those are a reflection of the general population, which supports this kind of legislation,” Mr. Gudino added. “What’s worse is that this is an ongoing electronic media that allows people to live out these fantasies of murder and genocide against a people. They’re encouraging death and destruction.”

[VOA]

The march is dedicated to 14-year-old Anthony Soltero, who committed suicide
after allegedly being threatened by a school official for participating
in immigration protests.

I guess being dumb enough to think that as a Hispanic/Latino
you'd be disciplined for clogging the streets so that you kill yourself
would be a "I am stupid enough to kill myself hate crime".

[trubluolyguy]

Anybody here anti-immigrant? I am anti-illegal/pro-borders.

[MNJohnnie]

Interesting how this is always the PR response from the Race pimps. Disagree with them and they start talking about all the death threats and nasty racist behavior they are being subjected too. Sorry, have read this same story line too many times. I don't believe it anymore. Lets see them document the threats for once. Have police reports been filed? Why have they not been published with this "news story"? How do we know the perpetrators of this supposed "hate crime" were non Latinos? After all, there HAVE been documented cases where the perpetrators of such acts were minority "Activists" manufacturing "evidence" to back up the spin by perpetrating said "Hate Crimes".

[Ajnin]

This whole idea of attaching racism to being against illegal immigration is an exercise in absolute schizophrenia. It's no secret that in Mexican culture, the whiter your complexion and the more European your features the more attractive and desirable you are considered to be. Many if not most Border Patrol Agents are of Mexican descent. In addition, illegals settle into communities that are of made up primarily of Americans of Mexican descent. They rape MA's, murder MA's, steal from and destroy the property of Mexican Americans.. etc. Mexican Americans are the biggest victims of this national travesty.

[pepperdog]

They are trying to teach the Latinos how to play the race card. It is despicable. The crimes, if true are despicable, but to accuse the general public of subscribing to this behavior is disgusting. As other's have noted liberals will NOT tolerate diverse views on any subject. Either agree with them or be a bigoted, racist, hate crime enabler.

[AndyTheBear]

I'm still playing Diablo II. Naturally they'll blame that if I commit an anti-Demon hate crime.

To be fair the "Border Patrol" game as described does seem juvenile and racist.

However their argument about it is totally fallacious when they imply it is a main stream game (conversely if this is not implied then the reference was pointless). But the intended audience may not know this. They are in fact, liars.

[AmeriBrit]

According to news reports, an aide to Lt. Gov. Bustamante recalled that he received a postcard that read, “All you dirty Mexicans should go back to Mexico. The only good Mexican is a dead Mexican.” In response, Mayor Villaraigosa stated that such threats come with the territory. The hateful sentiments are not exclusive to political officials. On Apr. 10, the Mariachi’s Mexican Bar and Grill in San Diego was vandalized and set on fire. The act was ruled a hate crime by police.

.................................................................................................................................

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ( real name Tony Villar )

La Raza / mecHa Activist Leader with Communist, Tom Hayden and George Soros backing since 1974

http://www.bruinalumni.com/antonio/antonioindex.html

http://www.bruinalumni.com/antonio/villar2.html

[SJackson]

This is a real crime, an ugly one. And it likely had a racial motivation. And they're charged with aggravated sexual assault, possible life sentence, death if the victim dies. My thought, while motivation will be relevant in sentencing if they're convicted, what's with the hate crime charge. Life is life.

[SJackson]

This whole idea of attaching racism to being against illegal immigration is an exercise in absolute schizophrenia.

The perps in this case were a couple of skinheads. Not about immigration, they'd have acted against someone with brown skin whose family had been here four centuries.

[Slings and Arrows]

True. I never heard of this "Border Patrol" before reading this article, and I keep an eye on computer games.

[i_dont_chat]

I have labeled myself as against "illegal workers". We have an illegal workers problem in this country.

[MNJohnnie]

I agree. It seems awfully Orwellian. Some people are more equal then others.

You do A and that is bad, but if you do A and it happens to be to one of our special victim classes, then it is really, really really, bad. How long before Politicians decide to assign themselves victim class status? What ever happened to equal protection under the law?

[johnboy]

you wrote: "This is a real crime, an ugly one. And it likely had a racial motivation."

you guys just don't get it, do you? this is no more about race than the conflict in ireland is about religion; viz., it is simply by happenstance that the irish (who are catholic) were invaded by another country, england, who happened to be protestant.

the msm's framing of the conflict as a "religious" war was intended to obfuscate the fact that this was really about the irish fighting for centuries to kick out the invaders. kinda like the scot's under william wallace. the americans under george washington. etc.

by pretending this is a religious was (something all civilized people abhor), we don't have to think about whether the irish might be within their rights to repel an invader.

no, this is not about race. well, actually, it is for the mexicans, but not really for most americans. this is about our soveriegn nation being invaded by another nation.

[George W. Bush]

The video game is appalling and the two Texas boys deserve prison. But why don't we ever hear anything about Latino hate-crimes against whites? Why isn't that news?

[SJackson]

you wrote: "This is a real crime, an ugly one. And it likely had a racial motivation."...you guys just don't get it, do you?

Yes, I do. Though not mentioned in the article in detail, The crime in question was an attack on a hispanic male by two skinheads, drunk and high, for the offence of kissing a white girl. A 12 or 13 year old if my memory is correct. There's no question the motivation was racial animus. I believe the perps admit that. My point is that the crime is aggravated sexual assault, hopefully not murder but thats a possibility. Life in prision or death are what they face. If they did it, they deserve it. IMO, motivation is a legitimate issue in sentencing. However this isn't a "hate crime", in my view it's attempted murder.

[grey_whiskers]

Anti-immigrant sentiment grows into nationwide hate crimes By Charlene Muhammad

Ummm, this got me thinking.

The gays jumped onto the civil-rights/hate thought crime bandwagon to legitimize their behaviour.

Look at the name of the author of this article.

Just wondering if another unpopular group is trying to create a new category of thought crime...

Cheers!

[Vasilli22]

http://nerdnirvana.org/g4m3s/borderpatrol.htm

[Hardastarboard]

What? Nobody posted the "Not This Sh!t Again!" guy? Funny, I had lunch at an excellent Mexican restaurant today, and my father in law and I were the only Gringos in there. Nobody got hurt, no cross words were exchanged, and we even left a tip. Unless that's now considered a hate crime.

[Paladin2]

Thanks for the pointer. Those dudes aren't sneaking in, they are smokin'. No wonder the BP has so much trouble.

[Donald Meaker]

I have seen the Border Patrol game. Played it.

It has drug smugglers, women, and children come across the border very quickly, and in large numbers. The only tool you are given is a gun. You can't win.

The point of the game is you need obstacles and barriers to slow down the flow. If you don't, there is no way to pick and choose who to stop. You just get the ones you can.