November 8, 2010

Long Island Teens Sentenced for Hate Crime of Marcelo Lucero

In 2010, four Patchogue teens were sentenced for the 2008 murder of Marcelo Lucero, which was determined to be a hate-crime. The night of the attack, the teens set out to harass Latinos and upon coming into contact with Lucero they beat him and killed him.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

A recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center found that Latinos in Suffolk County, which occupies about two-thirds of Long Island, have lived in a "climate of fear." The atmosphere of violence towards Latinos was created, in part, by anti-immigrant groups and some county elected officials who blamed economic problems on "illegal immigrants."

For more on Marcel Lucero's death see, " Climate Fear " .