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In Shenandoah, PA, the community is inching its way toward justice.
Three federal indictments that include commission of a hate crime, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, official misconduct, and extortion have been recently handed down by a federal grand jury in the case of the fatal beating of Luis Ramirez. On July 12, 2008, Ramirez was beaten to death when his alleged assailants attacked him in the street on their way home from a town festival, kicking and hitting him while members of the group yelled racial slurs. Ramirez died from the injuries he sustained in that hateful attack, leaving behind his partner and their two children, whose interests the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) represented in court soon thereafter.
In spite of the horrific details of the crime, damning evidence, and a number of serious criminal charges, the state trial released the defendants with little more than a slap on the wrist. This was not a trial for a petty infraction mind you, but rather a case whose outcome should have found justice for a man's death and for his surviving family. Therefore, MALDEF called upon the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the fatal beating and the accounts of police misconduct that were brought forth in testimony at the trial.
The indictments, just unsealed yesterday after being returned on December 10, 2009, allege that Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky--the primary defendants in the murder trial--and others, including some members of the Shenandoah Police Department, conspired to obstruct the investigation of Ramirez's murder. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt, so justice still has yet to be served.
For Denis Calderon and Julio Maldonado (my cousins), it's been 13 years since they were victims of a racial attack; 12 years since they were wrongfully convicted; 9 years since they completed serving their time for that conviction and 9 years since they proved their innocence twice and 5 years since they were arrested by ICE for deportation proceedings as the final blow per se. It's also been 5 years since Seth Williams called this case "his most memorable" while announcing his candidacy for the first time as Philadelphia District Attorney (12/2004 Philadelphia. Weekly)
Today they are still in prison. Denis is serving time in a Federal prison for not assisting in his own deportation and Julio was transferred back to DHS/ICE on 9/11 after serving 4+ years for also not assisting in his own deportation. Aside from the wrongful conviction and it's direct results, these otherwise lawful, long term permanent residents have given up years of their life as innocent men with the trust and faith that justice will prevail.
In their ongoing effort for justice, Denis and Julio's hope remains on receiving a full pardon from Governor Rendell and a cancellation of deportation from DHS.
For this we ask for your support and join us as we respectfully "Demand Justice for Denis and Julio" - http://www.change.org/actions/...
With the faith that all truths eventually come to light, the family recently made contact with Mr. Seth Williams, the person most suitable to correct this wrongfulness. Read more => http://denisandjulioandfaith.c...
It's been 13 years since my cousins Denis Calderon and Julio Maldonado were attacked by a gang (of 20+) young drunken racist in North East Philadelphia. They are victims of hate, a wrongful conviction and are now facing deportation as a result of IIRIRA. When will this injustice end?
I still remember how I first heard of the incident. I was with family and was just arriving Virginia Beach (wee hours of the morning) when I decided to turn on the radio to hear the day's forecast when suddenly I heard... "Denis Calderon and Julio Maldonado have been arrested for aggravated assault... ". I then turned to my hubby and said "WOW, check that out... there are two Latinos in VB with the same name as my cousins..." because "NO way, NO how", would I have ever imagined that my cousins who are loving, non-violent good guys would ever do such a thing, besides Julio lives in NY and Denis in Philly and I was in VB... so I thought, nah... just a coincidence.
Boy was I wrong... as I learned the next morning when after calling my sister to check in (yeah, we're a very close family), she told me that Denis and Julio had been attacked the night before and that they were "OK, although Denis had been stabbed, it didn't seem to be deep cuts..." and that the police were just holding them until further investigation. Well, since my family has never dealt with any criminal legal issues in the past, they just trusted everything was going to be alright, since it was an attack that they survived.
Boy were we wrong... evident by the fact that Denis and Julio are now facing deportation as a result of the miscarriage of justice that occurred during their trial and all the injustices they have faced since then.
Oh yes, there is a lot in between and too many details to include on this post, but this is my first and it will not be my last... meanwhile
President Obama has often stated that immigration reform cannot be approached in a piecemeal fashion, and that his administration would tackle the issue in 2009. This week, Obama will be meeting with members of Congress to kick off a bi-partisan approach to reform. These meetings don't guarantee any legislative action will take place this year, but are at least an encouraging sign. In the meantime, the deportation industry shows no sign of slowing, hate crimes are rising and hate groups are being main streamed. As a result, the polarization between reform advocates and foes is getting worse.
WHEN LUIS RAMIREZ WAS BEAT TO DEATH in the street for simply being Mexican While in Public, the Founding Editors of (award winning site!) The Sanctuary penned this piece. We did it carefully and over a few days, because we had a point we wanted to make very clear; one we did not see being underlined in the media. A point crucial to understanding the Ramirez killing as well as the killing of Marcelo Lucero and Wilter Sanchez and Jose Sucuhañay...and so many other vicious attitudes and assaults against the Latino comunidad.
Three things immediately shock the conscious soul upon learning about the murder of Luis Ramirez. The simple manner in which he died is the first of those.
Ramirez, a father of three, was beaten to death in the streets of Pennsylvania by as many as seven young men who were at the end of a night of drinking. The motive? Judging by the slurs heaped upon him along with the many blows to his body: apparently nothing more than being out at night while Mexican. The teens who ganged up on Ramirez came upon him walking with a young woman, reportedly his girlfriend's sister. Obviously bringing threat, they asked him what he was doing out at that time of day. Then they set upon him. In the end it was a final hard kick to the skull which left the 25-year-old father convulsing on the concrete with fatal brain damage.
The Pennsylvania Latino community is planning a Peaceful Prayer Vigil to Pray for Unity in Shenandoah. In a recent interview, Dr. Agapito Lopez, a member of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Latino Affairs and vice president of the Hazleton Latino Association said, "Everyone is concerned about this decision. Not only in the community here, but the whole Hispanic community in the United States."
On May 16, a vigil is planned to "Pray for Unity in Shenandoah." Dr. Arroyo said, "This will be a very Peaceful Prayer Vigil."
Last summer, three teens in Shenandoah, PA, attacked and beat a Mexican immigrant to death. After shouting increasingly violent threats and racial slurs at Luis Ramirez, the three teens proceeded to beat him so badly that he was left convulsing on the ground and foaming at the mouth. He died two days later in the hospital.
I followed the story closely. I just read through some of my older posts and thought this line was worth repeating:
America will look back in shame on events like this.
the weight of evidence against the accused was so powerful that it's clear the all-white jury -- like similar juries in the South during the Civil Rights struggle -- was not going to convict two young white men of murdering a Mexican. Even if, as Friedman [in the video above] says, "the only reason he is dead is because he was Mexican."
If you, like me, are outraged by verdict, please sign this petition from MALDEF, asking the Department of Justice to thoroughly investigate the case, to ensure justice is served.
Also, be sure to read the full piece by Neiwert, which gets the heart of the issue - bigotry and racism that is going unchecked and unpunished.
A 53-year-old San Jose man was having a personal conversation on his cell phone, speaking in Spanish, minding his own business, when he was suddenly attacked, punched in the face, as the white suspect, Scott Pontzious, 28, of San Jose, screamed "Speak English!!"
Imagine, walking down the street, having a private conversation with your friend on a cell phone, then, out of the blue, some young maniac comes up to you and punches you in the face and runs away!
Of course this is not surprising news, given the rhetoric going on daily on any ANTI Immigration Reform website or newspaper comment section discussing "Official English."
Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little." - Plutarch
It's hard to believe that it has been a month since the tragic murder of Marcelo Lucero. I have found myself the last four weeks being asked where I was when I heard about his death, much like the conversation so many New Yorkers have had about September 11th.
The truth is that I spend so much of my work week reading the news, that I try to avoid the news at all costs on the weekends....usually unsuccessfully. However, the weekend of November 8th, I had spent quality time with my husband and away from my computer and the tv. Late that Sunday night, I heard my cell phone ringing after 10pm, which was unusual for a Sunday night. When I answered it was my fellow-blogger Pat...poor guy didn't realize I didn't know yet and he was the bearer of very sad news.
My stomach sank. I threw-up, my worst fear being realized. An innocent man was murdered by a group of teens because of the color of his skin....in a community I love and have lived in....in an area I have walked dozens of times late at night and never felt unsafe. And then I felt sick again as I realized that my safety was ensured mostly because my skin color matched most of the young men who committed this dispicable crime.
That night and for two weeks after, my sleep was restless from endless nightmares.
In Is it ever ok to say "Stupid Mexicans?" at Dream Act Texas. In light of The New Yorker's cover and the recent beating death of a Mexican migrant in Shenandoah, PA we are beginning to see some disturbing trends. Just as many can use the "nation of laws" routine to belittle Hispanics The New Yorker can satirize Obama because they're just showing what some Americans think of him.
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