Hate Crimes in the Deep Southwest.

Phoenix Hate Crimes Rise 125 Percent from 2006 to 2010

Phoenix New Times
By Stephen Lemons,
Mon., Jun. 6 2011

democraticunderground.org

Yes, Confederate Arizona is alive and well...

Recently obtained statistics from the Phoenix Police Department show that hate crime in Arizona's most populous city continues its upward trend, with a 17.4 percent jump in bias incidents from 2009 to 2010.

The PPD reported 115 such incidents in 2009. In 2010, there were 135.

The gain is at least smaller than last year's spike of nearly 30 percent from 2008 to 2009. In 2008, the PPD reported 89 hate crimes, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports.

Hate crimes have been increasing steadily since 2006, when there were 60 hate crimes reported by the PPD to the FBI. In 2007, there were 80. This means that from 2006 to 2010, the numbers have more than doubled, a whopping 125 percent increase.

Though I don't have the statewide data for 2010 yet, last year I noted in this blog that hate crimes have been up in Arizona overall, bucking a national trend showing a decrease in such crimes, according to the FBI.

Traditionally, bias incidents are under-reported, though Phoenix tends to be better at documenting these crimes than some other localities.

Naysayers may bring up the recent controversy over the PPD's kidnapping numbers. However, the city panel that investigated those statistics found there were more kidnappings than had been reported by the PPD, not less.

The PPD has a two-detective bias crimes unit, which also works graffiti cases.The definition the unit uses in classifying bias incidents states that,

"A hate crime is a criminal act against a person or property in which the perpetrator chooses the victim because of the victim's real or perceived race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or gender."

That "hate crime" label essentially allows prosecutors to seek increased sentencing, if a jury or a judge agrees that biased motivation was an aggravating factor in the crime. Hate crimes are particularly odious as they target an entire community on the basis of one or more of the factors listed above.

The stats for 2010 show anti-Black crimes to be the most common in Phoenix, with 40 such incidents. Next are anti-gay crimes, at 29, followed by anti-Hispanic, at 18, and anti-Jewish, at 14.

PPD spokesperson Steve Martos told me that bias crime detectives have "no discernable pattern" that would explain the rising numbers. However, they suggest that increased community outreach by the PPD could have led to a corresponding increase in bias incidents being reported.

Another factor is a little more obvious, to me at least.

The Grand Canyon State has a well-deserved reputation for being the "state of hate," what with its demonizing of the undocumented (who are mostly Latino) and the blanket atmosphere of intolerance that pervades Sand Land, a.k.a., "the white man's last stand.".

We can thank such politicos as state Senator Russell Pearce, Governor Jan Brewer, and Attorney General Tom Horne for helping to encourage this climate of bigotry.

But they are not responsible for it. They have merely capitalized on it. And it existed prior to the noxious rise in nativism here.

Indeed, the current numbers are not record-breaking. In 1997, the total number of hate crimes reported for Phoenix peaked at 217. The numbers declined in 1998 to 170 incidents. And dipped still further in 1999 to 139.

Additionally, I should point out that the incidence of hate crimes is higher in other states, but that doesn't let Arizona off the hook.

Because over the last four years we've seen hate crimes advance in this state's most populous city 125 percent, at a time when the national trend is in the opposite direction.

Ultimately, the blame is on the individuals who live here. Not that all of us commit hate crimes, of course. But too many of us are indifferent to them. And looking the other way feeds intolerance, just as an unwatched campfire can beget a forest-wide inferno.

Racism Kills: Hate crime charge in Phoenix.

This is why we want to boycott Arizona: hate. So many of these kinds of crimes go undocumented for political reasons here...not so for crimes against white citizens by "suspected illegals."

From Stephen Lemons' Feathered Bastard blog this week at the Phoenix New Times:

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Rick Romley Seeks Hate Crime Enhancement for White-on-Brown Shooting in South Phoenix

By Stephen Lemons
Wednesday, Jun. 16 2010 @ 9:26AM

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has confirmed that prosecutors will seek a hate crime enhancement against Gary Kelley in the May 6 shooting death of Juan Varela in a South Phoenix neighborhood.

Kelley, an Anglo, is currently charged with second degree murder in the slaying of his Hispanic neighbor. According to the Phoenix Police Department's report on the incident, Kelley, 50, allegedly told the 44-year-old Varela, "You fucking wetback! Go back to Mexico!" before fatally shooting him in the chin with a .38 revolver.

MCAO spokesperson Jaime Brennan stated that County Attorney Rick Romley "has filed the hate crime aggravating circumstance allegation" in the killing. Brennan added that the sentencing enhancement "allows prosecutors to argue for the maximum sentence, which would be 22 years in this case."

Varela's family was angered that Phoenix police did not refer to the killing as a bias crime from jump. Initially, the Phoenix PD played down the possibility that the Varela murder was a hate crime, characterizing it more as the result of a dispute between neighbors.

Yet, there were some complicating factors. The Varela family and Kelley knew each other, and Kelley's other Latino neighbors actually described him to me as a "good guy" when I visited the block Kelley and Varela lived on shortly after the shooting.

However, the Phoenix PD's report described a drunken and disturbed Kelley, who morosely told one officer after his arrest that, "I love all people; white, black, or Hispanic and I am not racist in any way."

The Varela family has stated previously that they believe that Arizona's post-SB 1070 climate was a factor in the murder.

Phoenix radio host Carlos Galindo, who has been acting as a spokesman for the family, told me today that the family is heartened by the hate crime enhancement, though they would like to see Kelley's charges bumped up to first-degree murder.

"We had to struggle to make sure the investigation took the right direction," said Galindo. "We met with Rick Romley and [Phoenix Mayor] Phil Gordon, and they were very supportive. Hopefully, this will send a message nationally, and deter those that might attack people because of their ethnicity."

Galindo said the family would be holding a press conference shortly to address the change in prosecutors' stance toward the crime and the alleged perpetrator.

Why Not Support Hate Crime Legislation?

Found this essay this morning at Feministing.com. Worth a read - gave me some things to think on.
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Why I don't support hate crime legislation

The topic of hate crimes has been in the news a lot lately with the movement of the Matthew Shepard Act through Congress and the trial and conviction of Lateisha Green's killer. Many may take it as a given that all members of the queer and trans communities support hate crime legislation and convictions. This is not the case, though. Myself and many other queer and trans organizers and activists oppose this approach to violence against our communities.

It is important to recognize violence motivated by bigotry, and difficult to see alternatives to hate crime convictions as a means to this end. A sense of justice for the family and friends of people who have been killed because of their sexuality or gender identity is also valuable. But the ultimate goal should be to end such violence. Harsher sentencing does not decrease the amount of hate crimes being committed. A focus on sentence enhancement for these crimes does nothing for prevention. Putting our energy toward promoting harsher sentencing takes it away from the more difficult and more important work of changing our culture so that no one wants to kill another person because of their perceived membership in a marginalized identity group. 

Hate crimes legislation puts the power to bring and pursue such charges in the hands of a law enforcement and criminal justice system that disproportionately targets marginalized communities. As a result, hate crime charges are brought against black folks for allegedly targeting white folks and against queer folks for allegedly targeting straight folks. In fact, as the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) points out in their non-endorsement of GENDA, so called anti-white hate crimes constitute the second highest amount reported by the FBI. Self defense in the face of a racist, homophobic or transphobic attack can equal a harsher sentence for the person being attacked in the first place. 

Incarceration is supposed to deter crime, and harsher sentencing for hate crimes is supposed to deter crime even more. However, this is not the reality. In fact, longer time spent in prison actually increases recidivism. Our current system of imprisonment is producing more violence, not less. Hate crime verdicts will only add to this sad reality.

Continue reading Why I don't support hate crime legislation.

Posted by Jos - July 22, 2009, at 03:37PM

Speechless

Good for the residents of Fountain Hills who came out for a community meeting in support of those targeted by these hate crimes. This comes from the fortress of the predominately white, upper-class town that Joe Arpaio calls home:

3 Fountain Hills teenagers accused of 'KKK' vandalism

by Ofelia Madrid - Sept. 9, 2009 07:43 PM
The Arizona Republic

 

Three Fountain Hills High School students are accused of committing the vandalism that stirred fears within the upscale community.



Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio made the announcement at a community meeting Wednesday.
Alex Castellanos, 18, along with two juveniles ages 17 and 15 were charged with criminal damage, officials said.


The three students admitted to vandalizing seven vehicles, Arpaio said.


The most recent was discovered Sunday morning when Michele Jaber, who is Black, awoke to find a swastika, "KKK" and sexual images painted on her Ford and a friend's Cadillac outside her Fountain Hills home.


"We will not allow anyone to take hate through our town," Jaber told the about 200 community members who filled the center.


Jaber thanked the Fountain Hills residents for their support. She encouraged parents to talk to their children about "tolerance, respect and the beauty of diversity."


Arpaio, who lives in Fountain Hills, told community members that he understood the fear of possible white supremacists taking residence in the in the posh foothills community east of Scottsdale. But, he said that isn't the case in this instance.


"We've said from the beginning that they were juveniles," Arpaio said. "I don't think we have a lot to worry about."


Castellanos, who is on the high school football team, will also be charged with delinquency of a minor, officials said.


Parents of the three students will also be cited through a town ordinance, Arpaio said. The sheriff, who offered a $5,000 reward to find the vandals, said the students didn't have a racial motivation. 


Reporter Beth Duckett contributed to this story.

(How is there not "racial motivation" for KKK and swastikas being spray painted on a window? And why would we think white supremacists might move in there?)

Hate Crimes and Policing

6 Mass. boys, ages 11 to 14, charged with severely beating Guatemalan immigrant as he slept

Bureau News

September 8th, 2009

Surprising how you don't hear much about hate crimes against Latinos in these parts. Must have something to do with the way in which we've codified and institutionalized our hate, so it can be enforced as law by police and courts. After all, the Sheriff department's relationship with the migrant community must be good enough that migrants would report to Arpaio if they were being exploited or victimized, wouldn't they? If there was a serial rapist on the loose? If someone was perpetrating hate crimes against their community?
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6 Mass. boys accused of beating sleeping immigrant

BOSTON — Six boys were charged with severely beating a Guatemalan immigrant with bricks, bottles and rocks as he slept near railroad tracks, an attack that civil rights groups decried Tuesday as “hateful.”



Derrek Shulman, New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the July beating of Damian Merida was an example of how immigrants are singled out for attacks.


Police say six boys, ages 11 to 14, beat the 30-year-old Merida in July in Lynn, a city 10 miles northeast of Boston. Merida was hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital for a month with serious head injuries. Merida’s brother said the attack caused brain damage.

In a statement, police said the Lynn boys targeted Merida because of his ethnicity. Police also said they were looking into the assault of another Guatemalan immigrant and “the possibility that the attack was not the first perpetrated by these youths.”

The boys, who have not been named, have pleaded not delinquent to charges of civil rights violations, attempted murder and assault with intent to maim. All but one were released and ordered to wear electronic monitoring bracelets. A 14-year-old remains in state Youth Services custody.


Three teenagers and an 11-year-old were suspended indefinitely from their middle schools last week.
Diego Portillo, president of the Boston-based Latino Professional Network, said the boy’s young ages make the alleged crime more shocking.


“Incidents like this are sad reminders that hate continues to exist and spread to our youth,” he said.
Pretrial hearings will be held Oct. 1 in Essex District Juvenile Court.


Family friend Nancy Pye, of Swampscott, told the Daily Item of Lynn that Merida was an illegal immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for the last 15 years.


Family members said Merida had been distraught that a former girlfriend was now married and recently had a child. They told the paper that Merida had been drinking a lot around the time of the attack.


Merida is now at Tewksbury State Hospital for rehabilitation treatment.

Lynn police and immigrant activists say other Guatemalan immigrants have recently reported being attacked in Lynn. However, they say most immigrants won’t report the beatings or cooperate with police because they are undocumented.

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resisting the hate, from the locals in Lynn, MASS:

Relief bank account started for Guatemalan victim allegedly savaged by Lynn juveniles

By David Liscio / The Daily Item

LYNN - A bank account has been established on behalf of Guatemalan immigrant Damian Merida who was savagely beaten near to death on July 22 by a group of Lynn juveniles.

Merida, 30, was transferred this week from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to a Tewksbury rehabilitation center, but his medical condition remains dour.

Six boys, ranging in age from 11 to 14, have been arrested for attempted murder and other charges related to the unprovoked attack. Merida was asleep near the commuter railroad tracks abutting Robert McManus Field when the boys allegedly pounced and beat him senseless with bricks, sticks, rocks and bottles.

According to Lynn Police Lt. William Sharpe, the boys assaulted Merida because of his ethnicity. Merida suffered massive head injuries, internal damage and broken bones. The defendants have posted bail and are awaiting pre-trial hearings.

School officials have not announced whether the boys will be allowed to return to classes when the academic year begins next week.

Family friend Nancy Pye of Swampscott said Merida is an illegal alien living in the United States for the past 15 years. As a result, the bank account was set up at Sovereign Bank in the name of Merida's brother, Alfredo Pojoy of Lynn, a U.S. Citizen.

Donations can be made at any Sovereign Bank branch, paid to The Damian Merida Medical Fund.

Merida's mother, Teofila, has been at his bedside daily since the attack.

"It was a horrific attack. She's distraught over his injuries and the lifetime care that she was told he will need," said Pye, noting the family is weighing whether Merida should return to Guatemala. Pye said she has offered to pay the airfare.

Merida worked as a landscaper, carpenter's helper and assisted Pye at her florist business in an effort to support his mother.

"Damian gave his mother money for food and the rent," said his sister, Maria Gonsalez of Lynn. "He worked very hard."

Gonsalez lashed out at the Juvenile Court judge for allowing the boys to post bail. The judge was seemingly swayed by coaches and others who spoke in their behalf, she said.

Gonsalez said her brother had drunk alcohol and fallen asleep outdoors on the day of the beating after learning that his former girlfriend was married and with child.