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Posted on 07/16/2005 2:26:29 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
It started with the spray-painted, misspelled "Rapest" on the house of a Hispanic man accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old white girl. Then the house went up in flames in a suspected arson. Confrontations, name-calling and threats against Hispanics followed. Men roamed the streets wearing pillowcases with eye holes, and Ku Klux Klansmen in hoods and robes showed up to pass out pamphlets. There were rumors of assaults and beatings.
Now this small Ohio river city's booming Hispanic population is cowed, the streets in their neighborhoods nearly deserted.
Outside the office of the Living Water Ministry, which two months ago drew hundreds of people to its first Cinco de Mayo festival, there is still a smell of charred wood from the June 21 fire that gutted the house next door and caused damage to the outside of the ministry's office.
"Before, the street would be covered with people, people out all over the place," said Sasha Amen, community outreach coordinator for Living Water. "There's a lot of fear now. People are shutting themselves in their homes."
Hamilton has been a hotbed for Hispanic growth in a state that has lagged behind much of the nation in Hispanic population. The number of Hispanics here jumped fivefold in the 1990s, to 1,566, and is now estimated at 4,000 or more in a city of some 61,000.
For the most part, the immigrants had settled in without much controversy in Hamilton, whose mayor in the 1990s was of Cuban descent. But life here was transformed on June 19, when a 9-year-old Caucasian girl was raped, allegedly by a Hispanic man who has apparently fled the city.
"Yes, there is fear," said Ramona Ramirez, who owns a corner deli-supermarket where she says business is off and her bread delivery man is now afraid to come. "They are attacking all the Hispanics, and it is only one person. We don't know what will happen."
Lupe Galvan, a Mexican-born woman who has been here five years, said some neighbors are talking about moving away.
City and community leaders are trying to heal the wounds, beefing up patrols and trying to calm the community, Mayor Don Ryan said Friday. Ryan said authorities are stressing that the rape was "strictly a random act of violence" and not racially motivated.
"We're continuing to be a melting pot in this country," he said. "Assimilating into our culture is tough; I firmly believe that it will take time."
While the anti-Hispanic backlash has stunned many of the immigrants, some say they've felt racial prejudice here before. The Rev. Eustaquio Recalde, a native of Paraguay, says he was often harassed and ridiculed while working a factory job as the lone Hispanic employee.
"I think it's been around," Recalde said. "This was an opportunity for a few people to express it."
Ezra Escudero, executive director of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs in Columbus, says Hamilton is not alone in feeling tension in a state where the Hispanic population has doubled to nearly 280,000 since 1990.
"The challenge for the community is whether the tragedy will bring out the best or the worst in people," he said.
Shelly Jarrett Bromberg, an assistant professor of Spanish and Latin American studies at Miami University in Oxford, has helped organize two community forums since the fire. She called the Hamilton unrest an important moment for local Hispanics, churches, police and public officials.
"I think everyone realizes that we need to have a dialogue ... to make the community feel safe and feel that they have a voice," Bromberg said. "I think there are a lot of people who want to make this work out."
Looks like it is time for Ramirez family to move.
I don't think we have to worry about that. Hell, the last time we went to war with them, it took the forces like six days to get there, and then only four days to totally seize control.
If we were to roll into Mexico tomorrow, most would see us as liberators.
Frankly, I'm getting a bit tired of all the petty dictator sh*t that's been going on down there.
Good Post.
So True.
Good Post.
Sent this to my liberal brother.
Believe he is about to make the conversion to common sense conservatism.
I'm not sure what they were. When I was married to a Brasilian Morena, we went to the beach one weekend and ran into some ass who was tattooed all over with "White Power" and other lovely little thoughts. I don't recall exactly what they all said, but they weren't the teachings of Jesus. Yeah, his head was shaven, too. I don't know if he had a diploma from "Skinhead Charm School", but he was otherwise enrolled in correspondence school. He had friends waiting for him just off the peer and my wife and I were walking with my uncle and cousin back to the shore. I recall is that she grabbed my arm and started to look pale, which was quite a trick for her.
My uncle and cousin, both 6"+ ex marineswalked right into the guy nearly bowling him over while my wife and I strolled past. He just looked and didn't do anything. It took a few minutes to dig my wife's fingers out of my arms. She was frightened and said she'd never seen anything like that before. She did enjoy watching my kin bump into him, though.
I wont forget how scared my wife was, though.
I believe that the left will try to create a divide among conservatives and Latinos. That is the point of my post. Latinos as a whole did not line up for the left on their plantation. They will stamp and spit at any attempt for conservatives to bring more in the fold. I think that this is a concern for this and we need to be careful. An "Anti-Hispanic" backlash is not the same as an "Anti-Illegal" backlash.
Oh, one more detail, his pals watching us walk off the dock just stood there. They had tattoos as well, but the thing that stuck out in my mind was that one of them had a ~6 month old baby. I wonder if they let him watch "Barney"? Purple, you know...one of those.
Anyway, I've seen racism against Latinos manifest itself here in Boca over the years. I'm not exaggerating, I know the difference between reasonable reactions and singling out individuals.
I suspect these days that's not as much an issue as it was 10 years ago, much to my relief.
At any rate, there are many, many Hispanic FReepers on this site or those with Hispanic kin. My comments were not forwarded to any FReepers but a commentary on "Anti-Hispanic" versus "Anti-Illegal"sentiment.
How does one look at an individual and automatically know they are illegal? "Hispanic" isn't a qualifier. Neither is "Mexican", believe it or not. I believe the harshest action should be taken against illegals. They are criminals who make a mockery of all those who worked so hard to legally comply with our system of immigration.
Yet I worry that some people may be compelled into expanding the concept into a "blanket" generalization of who shouldn't be here.
I will fight against that as hard as I can.
OK, so the post is about an illegal rapist. I hope they castrate him with a pair of rusty plyers.
Per the article:
"Yes, there is fear," said Ramona Ramirez, who owns a corner deli-supermarket where she says business is off and her bread delivery man is now afraid to come. "They are attacking all the Hispanics, and it is only one person. We don't know what will happen."
These people are attacking "all Hispanics", legal or not. What do you think about this? Anyone?
I am against people targetting an entire immigrant group because of one illegal who comitted a major crime. These people are attacking an entire Hispanic community over the actions of an individual.
I would defend the legal Asians here for the same reason. the entire community should not be condemned for the actions of an individual.
Read the above post. What do you think? Wouldn't you want some one to be on your side?
Then again, I am vehemently against illegal immigration. Remember, the issues are seperate. My Asian friends are honorable, hard working conservatives. I wouldn't permit them to be targetted and grouped with Asians who come here illegally. We are protecting innocents here.
You and me both. I'm getting my avatar's butt "chawed" all over this thread. See my posts #34, #131 and #132.
Seriously, we need to make sure that people understand the issues. The term "Anti-Hispanic" over the term "Anti-Illegal" scares the heck out of me. My wife, my children? They're are obviously Latino descent, with people in certain areas attacking "all Hispanics", I'm a little more than freaked out...I thought we were beyond that.
I will fight this tooth and nail.
I've never met someone as wonderful and peaceful as my wife. I can't imagine some idiot assuming she's illegal and giving her crap. I'd lose it, in grand form...
I'll help.
we had some issues with the Klukkers when I lived in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately northern idiot rednecks are infinitely more vicious than anything the South has.
Man, when I lived in south Florida 15 years ago it was majority Latin, then blacks and then non-latin whites....and then a handful of crackers.
Boca was pretty Jewish as I recall
I have never seen a skinhead in nashville and the klan presence in Tennessee is tiny....don't know any of them either.'
but there is growing resentment against illegals....percieved or real/
my view (a minority one) is that there is too much immigration period....doesn't matter where it's coming from really although the more "different" ...the more complicated arguably.
Mexico is on the hot seat just because they are there....next door.
My daughters are technocally half Maronite genetically and my oldest has the complexion of say Danny Thomas.
Where they live 50 miles north of NYC with mom and husband in law, they beef mostly with Puerto Rican kids....
I believe that when the heat is really put on illegals like deportation in droves....that indig Mexican-Gringos will reflexively defend their own ethnicity.
it's human nature and complicated....woulda been easier to fix this 30 years ago....
Many Conservatives will help, unfortunately. Even 50 years ago, it was clear that when many (if not most) "Anglos" used the term "illegal" or "wetback," the really meant all Hispanics, even those who were citizens and whose family have been here since before the Mayflower.
When I was growing up, there were separate schools for Hispanics (and Negroes, for that matter), separate theatre sections, separate drinking fountains, etc. I used to argue with (reasonable wealthy) Hispanics about their support of the Democrats; these Democrats were taxing and regulating Hispanic businesses just as unfairly as they did Anglo businesses. The Hispanics agreed about the taxes, but they felt that Republicans just hated "brown people" and wanted to drive them out of the country. Fifty years hasn't changed things much.
when did Hispanic become a race? I missed the memo.
The Hispanics agreed about the taxes, but they felt that Republicans just hated "brown people" and wanted to drive them out of the country. Fifty years hasn't changed things much.
**You'd be surprised how many people still believe that :(
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