Posted on 01/08/2007 7:27:26 AM PST by nctexan
DURHAM -- The angry punch to his face didn't have a lasting effect on Eliseo Hernandez.
The lumps caused by fierce kicks to his body have long since disappeared.
But the terror of having three guns thrust against his body as he was beaten, threatened with death and robbed on Thanksgiving Day spawned lingering emotional trauma.
Hernandez's tale of terror is anything but unique in Durham. For a variety of reasons, many say, Hispanics are a lucrative, vulnerable and growing target for armed robbers.
The Hispanics also say most of the robbers are black. Of 17 Hispanics asked, all said they were either a robbery victim or knew one -- and that the assailants in every case were black.
An assistant Durham County district attorney supports their assertion, saying armed robbery of Hispanics here is chiefly a black-on-Hispanic crime.
Sleepless nights and a gnawing fear of again facing death at the point of a gun barrel are the mental barbs hooked into Hernandez's psyche, he said.
Retelling his experience is obviously painful -- his head hung low, mostly avoiding eye contact, his voice is an odd mixture of anger and shame.
But the immigrant from Guanajuato, Mexico, believes his life-threatening experience is little more than a statistic to police.
And in Durham, such statistics illustrate grave vulnerability -- nearly half of all robbery victims are Hispanic, although Hispanics represent only about 9 percent of the city's population, according to the 2000 census.
Robberies increased 58 percent during the first nine months of 2006 when compared with the same period in 2005, according to Deputy Police Chief Ron Hodge. Most involved stick-ups, and most of the victims were Hispanic, he said.
In July, August and September 2006, the most recent period for which statistics are available, 46 percent of all Durham robbery victims were Hispanic, police spokeswoman Kammie Michael has said.
"It's probably more like 90 percent," Hernandez said. (snip)
He and a Hispanic friend who also was beaten and robbed that night did call the police, but Hernandez said that was futile.
"Police don't do anything," he said.
Instead of posting more patrols in high-crime neighborhoods, police told him it was his fault for carrying so much money, and advised him to look out his windows to be vigilant of suspicious activity, he said.
Any bets as to the racial makeup of the perpetrators?
It's a relief that the bulk of crimes are not attributed to rich white Duke boys.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Nowhere do I see if these are illegals in this report.
No, Orange County would be the "San Francisco" of North Carolina. Durham is more akin to the Watts district of Los Angeles.
That's why they are the perfect victim. They're afraid to make a report to the authorities.
DA Nifong will get to the bottom of it.
Durham could only hope to be San Francisco. It's more like Oakland on a bad hair day.
Wow, that's very accurate, but it's hard to see in print. Man.
And of course there is the Other America....the rich Liberal bastion of Chapel Hill.
What a bunch of phonies those people are with their SUVs and kids going to fancy colleges!
Walk around here with a "ICE" jacket on and see how many turn and walk/run in the other direction. That is a good indication of whether they are illegals or not. BTW, if they were legal, they would report the crimes.
I'm sure some are illegal... however, the police can not be this ambivalent about crime/violence on anyone: legal, illegal, alien, citizen or whatever. Sad state of affairs for a PD that has show very questionable performance lately.
Could we expect them to LEAVE if it gets worse for them?
Naa, probably not.
That's odd?!?
I searched and double searched the article and cannot find 'hate crime' anywhere??? Oh well, I guess the search function in my Firefox browser is broken.
Seriously though, most Hispanics that are not necessarily legal will have whatever cash they own on their person, not in a bank or safe place. Easy targets for those who have no qualms about being thieves.
If the people asked are being truthful, there's not much to bet on:
The Hispanics also say most of the robbers are black. Of 17 Hispanics asked, all said they were either a robbery victim or knew one -- and that the assailants in every case were black.
The possibility is there, though, that one Hispanic who is attacked by another Hispanic could put the blame on a black assailant rather than a fellow Hispanic.
These robberies are targetting "off the books" employees, many of whom are not legal residents. They get paid in cash, and don't use banks.
The illegals tend to settle in communities together, and it is quite easy to identify them, especially when the work trucks are parked out back at night.
The same thing is happening in the illegal's communities near Atlanta.
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