Rape allegation fuels fear of racist violence among Hispanics in Ohio

[T_i_B]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article299865.ece

The spelling may have been sloppy but the anger behind it could not have been more clear. Days after someone spray-painted "rapest" on the house of a Hispanic resident accused of raping a nine-year-old white girl, the house went up in flames.

Since then the typically Mid-western town of Hamilton, Ohio, has descended into threats, confrontations and even an appearance from the Ku-Klux-Klan. In a state where a Republican politician recently sponsored a bill to make English the official language, the recent violence has caused alarm among a burgeoning Latino population.

"There is fear," said Ramona Ramirez, who owns a corner store where she said business was down since the incident. "They are attacking all the Hispanics, and it is only one person . We don't know what will happen."

The catalyst for the unrest was the reported rape of a nine-year-old white girl, allegedly by a Latino man who has since fled the city. The day after news of the rape emerged, the arson attack took place on a house rented by six Mexican immigrants. Local people believed the alleged attacker also lived there.