Drumsme7
08-07-2005, 02:22 PM
Pure Old Hate, Not Victims, To Blame For Crimes
Some say Californians ought not be surprised by the rise in assaults on Latinos given the anti-illegal-immigration sentiment in the state.
Thats pointing the fingers at the wrong culprit. Hate crimes are the work of bigots and they'll use anything as an excuse.
Sorry, but we refuse to accept justification for such unjustifiable hatred toward Latinos, here legally or not. Yet, according to a report from Attorney General Bill Lockyer, hate crimes against Latinos increased from 103 in 2003 to 138 in 2004.
Happily, Latinos and others were quick to refute such rhetoric when the Save Our State organization used the illegal immigrant card in its attempt to remove a cultural monument in Baldwin Park.
So misguided were SOS actions that members of the Minuteman Project who seek to stop illegal border crossings steered well-clear of the area demonstrations.
A recent news story notes crimes against African Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders also increased during the same time period from 463 to 693 and from 66 to 87 respectively.
Last we looked, few if any from these ethnic groups were counted among those crossing the Rio Grande into the United States.
Face it, the miscreants who strike out at others based solely on race, ethnicity, creed or sexual orientation do so because they mistakenly believe that the wider society will condone their despicable behavior. Blaming hate crimes against Latinos on anti-illegal-immigrant sentiment perpetuates that lie.
Thankfully, Americans for the most part have moved beyond such misguided thinking. Thats precisely why we have a legal hate crime designation and why that application carries harsher punishment. Society is sickened by such banal behavior, and juries across the nation have rightly handed down long sentences for these crimes.
So lets be careful to accurately identify the source of these crimes pure, old-fashioned, hate. Unless we know the enemy, victory will elude us
http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,141...2996774,00.html (http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E23127%257E2996774,00.html)
Some say Californians ought not be surprised by the rise in assaults on Latinos given the anti-illegal-immigration sentiment in the state.
Thats pointing the fingers at the wrong culprit. Hate crimes are the work of bigots and they'll use anything as an excuse.
Sorry, but we refuse to accept justification for such unjustifiable hatred toward Latinos, here legally or not. Yet, according to a report from Attorney General Bill Lockyer, hate crimes against Latinos increased from 103 in 2003 to 138 in 2004.
Happily, Latinos and others were quick to refute such rhetoric when the Save Our State organization used the illegal immigrant card in its attempt to remove a cultural monument in Baldwin Park.
So misguided were SOS actions that members of the Minuteman Project who seek to stop illegal border crossings steered well-clear of the area demonstrations.
A recent news story notes crimes against African Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders also increased during the same time period from 463 to 693 and from 66 to 87 respectively.
Last we looked, few if any from these ethnic groups were counted among those crossing the Rio Grande into the United States.
Face it, the miscreants who strike out at others based solely on race, ethnicity, creed or sexual orientation do so because they mistakenly believe that the wider society will condone their despicable behavior. Blaming hate crimes against Latinos on anti-illegal-immigrant sentiment perpetuates that lie.
Thankfully, Americans for the most part have moved beyond such misguided thinking. Thats precisely why we have a legal hate crime designation and why that application carries harsher punishment. Society is sickened by such banal behavior, and juries across the nation have rightly handed down long sentences for these crimes.
So lets be careful to accurately identify the source of these crimes pure, old-fashioned, hate. Unless we know the enemy, victory will elude us
http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,141...2996774,00.html (http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E23127%257E2996774,00.html)