Latinos on Edge in Pennsylvania Town
El Diario/La Prensa, News Feature, Cristina Loboguerrero, Translated by Suzanne Manneh, Peter Micek and Elena Shore, Posted: Jul 31, 2008
Editor’s Note: Two weeks after the fatal beating of a Mexican immigrant by a group of white teenagers, Latino residents of this Pennsylvania town are afraid to leave their homes.
SHENANDOAH, Penn. -- In this seemingly quiet Pennsylvania town, racial intolerance is widespread and many Latino residents choose to stay home to avoid any confrontation.
Shenandoah, a small town that spans one and a half square miles and is located three hours from New York City, made headlines in recent weeks after the fatal beating of a 25-year-old Mexican man.
The victim, Luis Ramírez, died on July 14, 30 hours after being savagely beaten by a group of white teenagers who are now in the custody of the court.
The dispute began in a Shenandoah park, when the teenagers began harassing Ramírez, and shouted at his girlfriend: "Hey, you better get out of this neighborhood!" and "Get your Mexican boyfriend out of here."
In this city of 5,500 residents, 10 percent of whom are Latino – mostly Mexicans, followed by Hondurans and Dominicans – everyone has something to say. But people’s fears of retaliation outweigh their desire to speak up.
"We prefer to stay at home," says Rafael Rejinfo, a 42-year-old Mexican, who explains in a low voice that he came to this country two years ago "to work.” “I don’t like problems,” he says, “so I prefer to stay here with my family and just go out to work, go to church and the supermarket.”
It's almost like "living in a prison," admits Reina Barbosa, who adds, "Not everyone is bad here. There are very good Americans who say hi to us and try to integrate us into the community."
One of the few respondents who agreed to be identified was Jorge Perez, owner of La Guadalupana market on Main Street, one of the three Latino-owned businesses in Shenandoah. Perez asserted in a firm tone, “Yes, there is discrimination in this town.”
Perez recounted that on several occasions young whites have followed him and insulted him but, he says, “I prefer to let it roll off my back and not confront them for fear that what happened to my friend will happen to me. He was a good person and did not deserve to die like that."
The grocery store owner, who has lived in Shenandoah for 20 years, says that after school, teenagers gather outside the pizzeria on the corner of Main Street and Lloyd and spend all their time “insulting all the Latinos who dare to go through."
The only place, apparently, that Hispanic immigrants congregate is the Church of the Annunciation, where more than 100 people meet every Sunday to pray. During a religious service last Sunday, Father Jorge Winnie said a prayer "for good relations and peace in the town."
The pastor also invited the faithful to attend a series of meetings between the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and members of the Latino community, to respond to questions and tension raised by acts of discrimination.
Mayor Thomas O'Neill described his city as "a place with a great ethnic mix," and refused to speak about the crime, saying the matter should be left up to the justice department.
Although the congregation laments the death of Ramírez, who was known as "horse," they refuse to talk about it, saying they don't want any "problems." Others, in a resigned tone, say they are used to being called "dirty Mexicans," but agree that young people are the ones who most often attack Latinos.
Rose Walls, a resident of the town for more than 30 years, asks that they not "label all the whites in the city as racists." "Personally, I don’t have problems with any person of another ethnic origin. We’re not all bad," she insists.
Paloma Zamudio, 21, the daughter of Cornelio Zamudio, who owns La Casita de Familia, the only Mexican restaurant in the area, says that in their business, "We’ve never had any kind of problem with anybody. They have never broken any glass and, on the contrary, much of our clientele is Anglo-Saxon."
James Goodman, the prosecutor in charge of the Ramírez case, says what happened "has filled the city with ethnic tension." He urges people to remain calm and wait for the case to be resolved in the justice system.
Roger Laguna, lawyer for one of the three white youths arrested for the Mexican immigrant's death, says that despite the epithets about the victim's race, the fight was not motivated by racial hatred. However, the victim's girlfriend, Crystal Dillman, also from Shenandoah, paints a much more racist image of the town and says Ramírez was frequently insulted with slurs like "dirty Mexican."
The tension is evident in Shenandoah, where Central American residents largely work landscaping and agricultural jobs.
Pérez, owner of La Guadalupana market on Main Street, notes, "For a Sunday, the street is desolate. No one wants to go out. Everyone is afraid."
Protected by the walls of the Church of the Ascension, worshiper Rodolfo Martínez, who knew the victim, dares to express the mood of the Hispanic immigrant congregation: "All of us who knew Luis hope that justice will be done and that his death will serve to close the rift of hatred and racial intolerance that exists in some sectors, not just in this city but in the entire country."
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User Comments
dave on Aug 01, 2008 at 20:12:13 said:
Nancy, I'm just curious, did you mean to call all Latinos in this town lawbreakers, or just the ones that look "illegal" to you? How do you distinguish between "legal" from "illegal", or do you feel that all of them should just go back to where they came from? The title, "Latinos on Edge in Pennsylvania Town", is referring to both documented and undocumented Latinos who don't feel safe in this racist town that thinks diversity is having a pizza parlor, a german bakery, and a polish grocery.
dave on Aug 01, 2008 at 14:25:46 said:
nativesaysno says: "Luis Ramírez, Anthony Bologna, Matthew Bologna, Michael Bologna, are all gone from us from senseless acts of violence. Not one is less human than the other...that was my point."
Interesting. That's my point too. We seem to be making the same point, but from opposite sides.
You've pointed out a couple of times that this and many other stories have no journalistic merit. How so?
And so, do you think that the large number of stories of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants that are often showcased in nativist and anti-illegal immigration websites (to support the idea that there is a definite "crime wave" caused by illegal immigration) have journalistic merit?
And before you conclude that I "speculate" on crime rates being low for undocumented immigrants, I happen to live in an area that has one of the highest undocumented immigrant rates in my state, and it is also a low income neighborhood with a high crime rate. I'm not speculating anything. I base my statements on legitimate unbiased research and news sources. A hate group does not qualify as a reliable news source, but people like Lou Dobbs, Bill O'Reilly, and Glenn Beck are all too happy to use and site them in their stories.
nativessayno on Aug 01, 2008 at 11:10:23 said:
dave- the illegal latina that injured me and wrecked my car...let's see. LAPD did NOTHING to her. The LAPD has 2 separate laws for citizens and illegal (millions) immigrants since we are a sanctuary city. If you break a law here and are a non-citizen, guess what happens? Mostly nothing, (as in nothing) will happen to you.
There is evidence of studies with varying data regarding illegal immigrant crimes (high and low)....but hey, if you don't have to worry about this in LA; wouldn't you speculate that crimes are thus under-reported?
You know, the LA Times did not even report the SF murder of the Bologna's for a full MONTH until there was an outcry. Consider that in context.
My beef are: a. Too many stories lack objective journalistic merit. b. they portray "undocumented" persons in a highly sentimental way. c. They do not write about citizen's in that manner.....can you see my point on this?
Luis Ramírez, Anthony Bologna, Matthew Bologna, Michael Bologna, are all gone from us from senseless acts of violence. Not one is less human than the other...that was my point.
Nancy on Aug 01, 2008 at 05:29:02 said:
Boo-hoo. Lawbreakers are afraid? Well, that's a 180 degree turn-around for a people who was taking such great joy in marching in our street and promising to take our country away from us. They can obey the law like us or be considered our enemies. The people who are turning away from their crimes with a blind eye are nothing but criminals themselves and shouldn't be trusted by these lawbreakers. They've come here to destroy all we've built; did they think it would be easy??? What they are pushing is a war....be careful what you ask for, you might get it. Take my advice, go back to mexico. We know you got jobs down there. Fix ur own country. Or face the prospects of nafta going the way of the wild buffalo.
dave on Jul 31, 2008 at 20:44:59 said:
nativesaysno,
No one is trying to cannonize Luis into sainthood, nor any other latino, for that matter. Instead, what needs reminding is that latinos are human. But not all are involved in drugs or gangs, either. Are humans perfect? No. Do humans commit crime? Yes. Did Luis Ramirez commit a crime, other than the obvious one of illegal immigration that many people are quick to accuse him of, and some are even willing to kill him over? Who knows? Aside from any crime he may be guilty of, did the teens have the right to kick him to death because of his race? Let's ask more questions. Do undocumented immigrants commit more crime than the average US citizen? Studies say no. Do undocumented immigrant latinos commit more crimes than other undocumented immigrants, then? Studies still say no.
I also honestly don't see anything being reported here that is "wildly narrow", as you say. The article is basically saying that there is racial tension in this town, and that some of the roughly 10% of the population in this town are scared to speak their mind of the racial tension, or to go outside of their homes more than they need.
latinadentro on Jul 31, 2008 at 19:56:34 said:
Yo estaba muy triste para mis amigos latinos de los estados unidos, cuando yo aprendi de la historia de luis ramirez de Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. Somos todos los inmigrantes y estare recordar siempre. Nunca jamas olidare. Disculpe, me espanol no es muy bueno. Soy una filipina, pero soy una latina en mi corazon tambien. Buena Suerte y Gracias a Dios!
legalatina on Jul 31, 2008 at 10:46:17 said:
All illegal aliens should be afraid to remain here illegally, jeopardizing the security and unity of their families ...but no worries, the fed's are offering a new program this month for illegals....self-deportation....why wait in anxiety and fear...do the right thing for your family for once and GO HOME voluntarily before you are forcibly deported. Illegal alien parents would do well to get their affairs in order and make plans to self-repatriate as soon as possible....that would be the more honorable thing to do and a good example for their children. SI SE PUEDE...YA ES HORA!
nativesaysno on Jul 31, 2008 at 09:31:03 said:
Paloma Zamudio states: much of our clientele is Anglo-Saxon....what?
-->... from Wikipedia: Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the peoples living in the south and east of Great Britain from the early 5th century AD to the Norman conquest of 1066. ......
Seriously, we have to see what becomes of this legal case and all the FACTS. Have there been any crimes in Shenandoah committed by any of the noble, tortured "workers' from the South? Or are they all on the verge of sainthood? Luis' murder is already a very sad fact...but in your story you paint a pure people corrupted by those meanies in PA.
It does not honor the murder of Luis to "report" the event in such a wildly narrow, subjective portrait which has virtually no journalistic merit. Of course it is very sad, we already know that a murder is a sad thing. Facts tell the whole story though.