A Killing in a Town Where Latinos Sense Hate
The story "A Killing in a Town Where Latinos Sense Hate" details the vicious attack and murder of Marcelo Lucero, by Jeffrey Conroy and four high school friends. Some say that the murder was a hate crime, motivated by race. Jeffrey and his friends confessed to seeking out "Mexicans" to rob them or beat them up. The article also points out that that there were many reports in this county of physically and verbal attacks of Latinos on the streets and bullying in schools by a predominantly white population for months. One the friends of the young men denied that the attacks were racially motivated and described them as "bored" and that the attacks (described as "not unusual") were for fun or money. Jeffrey Conroy has been indicted for second degree murder as a hate crime.
- A hate crime is defined by the FBI as "A hate crime, also known as a bias crime, is a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin." Based on the description in the article, do you feel that this meets the definition of a hate crime? Why or Why not?
- The article points out that racial tensions have risen as immigration has increased. Census records show that the Latino population grew by 10% (from 1990 to 2000) to make up 24% of the population of Suffolk County in 2000. What conclusions do you draw about the response to immigration?
- Some in the town draw a distinction between "assimilated immigrants" to the town and "newly arrived immigrants". What do you make of this distinction? How did Jeffrey and his friends define the in-group? What does this tell us about their capacity to accommodate difference?
- The group of young men with Jeffrey actively participated in the assault or were bystanders to the attack. Most of the people who knew these young men thought they could never do such a thing. How do we make sense of their group bystander behavior?
- New York Governor David Patterson said in response to the story, "Suffolk Police tell us that Mr. Lucero and a friend were attacked late Saturday by seven teenagers who were driving around looking for a Hispanic to beat up. The senseless and cowardly act by these teenagers cannot stand. ... Mr. Lucero's death is a jarring reminder that we must remain vigilant and continue our fight to eradicate prejudice in our words and in our actions." What are the most successful ways to "eradicate prejudice"? What are the ways in your own community you can work to eradicate prejudice and prevent such an attack?
