Yesterday, Democracy Now reported that there is a steady rise in hate crimes against Latinos. There has been a 40 percent rise since 2003. In 2007, NPR interviewed Mark Potok from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Hate crimes are defined by violence motivated by the offenders bias against the perosn’s race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that this violence could be due to the national immigration debate. Here is a quote from their blog:
At the same time as anti-Latino violence has risen, the Southern Poverty Law Center has reported a major increase in hate groups — from 602 in 2000 to 888 in 2007, a 48% percent jump — and said that the growth has been almost entirely driven by the immigration debate. White supremacist groups that normally target African Americans and Jews have focused heavily for the last several years on the “threat” of Latino immigrants, exploiting the issue successfully in order to recruit more and more members, especially in the border states. That has only begun to change recently, as hate groups increasingly turn their attention to the subprime crisis (which they blame on minorities) and the likely prospect of a black president.
This is an issue we Latinos need to watch and report when it happens. Even if you do not have papers that does not mean that US citizens have the right to hurt you or your property.
Wandering Thoughts 2 