Justice for

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues, 

Perhaps you will be interested in

this email that I received today from Presente.org with a report on the recent

findings on the DOJ’s ruling on the fatl attack on in Shenandoah

PA.  At this time it seems that anti-immigrant sentiment in our communities is

stronger than ever.

Bobbi Ryder

We are one step

closer to justice for and his family

Thank you for making your voice heard

Earlier this year, you and thousands of Presente.org members called on

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell to speak out against the brutal, racially

motivated attack on Mexican immigrant . You helped raise the

call for justice, and now justice is being served: on Tuesday, after a yearlong

investigation, the federal government announced hate-crime and corruption

charges in the case1.

The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division filed charges against

's assailants and the local police officers who allegedly covered up the

attack. Derrick Donchak and Piekarsky were charged with a hate crime

for fatally beating while shouting racial epithets, and Shenandoah

police officers Nestor (the town's Chief), Lt. Moyer and

were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice during the investigation2.

While the indictments can only soften the pain of 's family,

federal charges send a strong message that racially motivated violence against

Latinos will not be tolerated in this country.

As Justice Department Assistant Attorney General E. said:

" Violence motivated by bigotry and hate has no place in America, and yet

it remains all too prevalent in many of our communities. " The truth of

's words is known all too well among Latinos, who have seen a rise in hate

crimes over the past five years -- a trend exacerbated by economic tensions and

a growing anti-immigrant sentiment.

The injustice of 's killers being acquitted by an all-white jury in

the small town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, was the first issue that

Presente.org took on because it graphically shows the racism and xenophobia

that still smolder in some parts of this country, and the clear need to speak

out against bigotry of all kinds. The federal hate crime charges are a

vindication of our efforts, and of the power that we have when we speak with a

unified voice against injustice.

Please help us share this victory by passing this message on to your friends

and family and urging them to become a part of the growing Presente.org community.

Thank you and Adelante!

Favianna, o, Laurie and the rest of the Presente.org team

References

1. " Gov. Rendell Asks U.S. Attorney General to File Civil Rights Charges

in Shenandoah Beating Death, " Office of the Governor, 5/29/09

http://bit.ly/90bynr

2. " Two Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Men and Four Police Officers Indicted

for Hate Crime and Related Corruption, " Department of Justice, Office of

Public Affairs, 12/15/09

http://bit.ly/5BUuvN

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