Amy Goodman: Friend of Mexican Immigrant Beaten to Death in PA Gives Eyewitness Account of Attack

[marmar]

From Democracy Now!:



Friend of Mexican Immigrant Beaten to Death in Pennsylvania Gives Eyewitness Account of Attack

Luis Ramirez, a twenty-five-year-old Mexican immigrant, was beaten to death last week by a group of teenagers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. He was walking home last Saturday night when six white high school students brutally beat him while yelling racial slurs. Despite eyewitness testimony, no charges have been filed. We speak with Arielle Garcia, a friend of Ramirez who witnessed the attack.



Guest:

Arielle Garcia, friend of Luis Ramirez. She witnessed the beating.


AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to Shenandoah Valley in Pennsylvania. Luis Ramirez was a twenty-five-year-old Mexican immigrant who was beaten to death last week by a group of teenagers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. He was walking home last Saturday night when six white high school students brutally beat him while yelling racial slurs. When one of Ramirez’s friends tried to stop the beating, one of the teenagers said, “Tell your Mexican friends to get out of town, or you’ll be laying next to him.” Despite eyewitness testimony, no charges have been filed as yet.

Ramirez came to the United States six years ago. He was the father of two children. He was engaged to Crystal Dillman, who grew up in Shenandoah.

We called the district attorney investigating the case, but he declined to join us on the program and said he had no comment.

I’m joined right now by Arielle Garcia, a friend of the couple who was an eyewitness to the attack on Luis Ramirez. She’s a high school senior in Shenandoah. We welcome you, Arielle, to Democracy Now!

ARIELLE GARCIA: Hi. Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: It’s good to have you with us. How old are you?

ARIELLE GARCIA: I’m seventeen.

AMY GOODMAN: And what year are you in high school?

ARIELLE GARCIA: I’m a senior.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell us what happened, not this past Monday night, but the Monday before that? What happened to Luis Ramirez? Where were you?

ARIELLE GARCIA: He was at our house all day that afternoon. And it was around maybe 11:00, he asked us to take him uptown to drop him off, whatever, he was going to go home. So, we leave him at the Vine Street Park, and we drive away, Victor and I, and about two minutes later he called us and told us to come back, that people were beating him up. So we get back as fast as we could. And when we get there, he was—like the fight was over, like the boys were walking away, but they were still screaming like racial slurs, like “Go back to Mexico!”

And so, Victor and I ran up to Luis, and we said, “What happened?” But he was so mad, he wasn’t really talking to us. And those kids kept yelling stuff, and he went back, and the kids turned around, and the fight started again. So Victor, my husband, tried to like stop the fight. He tried to get the kids off of Luis, but kids were trying to fight my husband. So my husband got the kids off of him, and we couldn’t stop the fight between Luis and the—but next thing we know, Luis was on the floor. And so, me and Victor, we ran up to his side, and we were at his side. We were trying to wake him up, and the kids are still like kicking him and kicking him. And somebody—I don’t know who, but they kicked him like in the left side of his head so hard that that’s what killed him. ....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/24/friend_of_mexican_immigrant_beaten_to

[marmar]

1. Shameless afternoon self-kick......

:kick:

[EFerrari]

2. Looks like three people were finally charged:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3675127