A little over one year ago a 37-year old immigrant from Ecuador, Marcelo Lucero, was stabbed to death in Patchatogue, NY, a town on Long Island. The community recently held a vigil and called for increased understanding. One can only hope that the memorial service helps to spread open-mindedness and serve as a counterweight to xenophobia.
Who carried out such a hate-crime and why did they do this? The police arrested a group of teenagers who said that they went around town beating up Hispanics as a kind of “sport”. I would argue that this behavior and the fear of others is learned, and that families can raise children who accept and even appreciate differences.
While violence against immigrants is rare, it unfortunately remains all too common.
In 2005, assailants shot six Mexican immigrants and beat them to death with a baseball bat in Tifton, Georgia. Aside from robbery, the crime included racial motivation. A jury convicted the main perpetrator for 120 years in jail, without parole.
Everyone, whatever their immigration status and legality may be, deserves physical protection and the guarantee of their basic human rights.