Latino Activists Face Death Threats in Georgia
Atlanta Latino, News Report, Judith Martínez-Sadri , Posted: May 25, 2008
Traducción al español
Threats of death and lynching that used to be directed at civil rights leaders in the 1960s are now being targeted at immigrant rights activists in Georgia. Advocates say state lawmakers are partly to blame for creating an environment in which immigrants are treated as less than human. Judith Martínez-Sadri is editor of Atlanta Latino.
ATLANTA -- Death threats have not intimidated pro-Latino activists in Georgia. Instead, they have spurred them to join forces across racial lines to counteract the anti-immigrant atmosphere that has taken on a sinister tone in the state.
Less than a week after Rich Pellegrino called a group of human rights organizations together to protest the sale of a racist T-shirt, he received a shocking death threat at the door of his home.
It had been a rough week for Pellegrino, director of the Cobb Immigrant Alliance, who protested in front of Mulligan’s Bar and Grill in Marietta with other activists on May 13.
The objective was to urge the owner of the establishment to suspend the sale of a T-shirt that depicted a drawing of Curious George with a caption that read “Obama in 2008,” which offended the African-American community and the Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
Two days later, Pellegrino was greeted with a death threat on his doorstep.
“I got home at about 10 p.m. from a meeting with some Latino leaders," said Pellegrino. “I saw a manila envelope at the door that said ‘Cobb Latino Alliance,' with my name and a sketched drawing of a cross and the year 2008.
“My children said it looked as if there was a man hanging from the cross and that perhaps they were referring to me and that the year 2008 was the year I was going to die," he said, laughing nervously.
Pellegrino dropped the envelope and went to look for his family. After verifying that they were okay, he called 911, and minutes later Cobb County police officers and firefighters showed up at his home, took the envelope and brought it in to investigate its contents.
Pellegrino confessed that the episode caused him to fear for the safety of his family.
“It scared me,” said Pellegrino. “My daughters had been playing in the yard a few minutes earlier; they had called me to tell me that it was raining.”
The incident also shocked him because even though he had received unpleasant e-mails and intimidating phone calls in the past from people who are against his pro-immigrant work, this was the first time he had received a threat of this type at his own home.
“I was in a state of shock -– it reminded me of my experiences during the time of the civil rights movement and in the 80s when they arrested me for professing my Baha’i faith and holding meetings with African-Americans in South Carolina,” said Pellegrino. "I was threatened by the Ku Klux Klan and arrested by Anglo police officers there."
Although the threat was an unpleasant situation for Pellegrino, he vows that it will not stop him from his mission of uniting communities and fighting for the rights of immigrants.
"I talked to my wife and said, ‘If you want me to get out of this, I will for my family’s sake.’ She told me that it was too late to turn back and not to give up. I know she doesn’t want me to be intimidated and give up.”
Pellegrino says that he and his family will take certain precautions and be on the alert, but they will not let these threats intimidate them.
The sign in his yard that reads “Welcome immigrants” will remain, and Pellegrino is now preparing to work for immigrants and civil rights with the new organization Cobb United for Change, which emerged after the incident involving the offensive T-shirts against Barack Obama.
THE ENVELOPE AND ITS CONTENTS
According to Dana Pierce, spokesperson for the Cobb County Police Department, the envelope is now being analyzed.
“The suspicious package case is being treated like a hate crime and is considered an active and ongoing investigation,” said Pierce. “We treat these types of cases very seriously, and should the person be caught, they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” Pierce added that the envelope contained some red powder that turned out to be harmless red dye.
WHO’S TO BLAME FOR THE THREATS
Threats against immigrant advocacy groups are nothing new in Georgia.
E-mails with messages such as, "You belong on a rope,” letters and telephone calls from anti-immigrants, and even protests during events organized by the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO), have been directed at GALEO's executive director, Jerry Gonzalez, in the last two years.
“In October 2005, right after we had established GALEO, I got the first attack by e-mail," notes Gonzalez. "It was something I was expecting because of the atmosphere in the state at that time."
According to Gonzalez, every time he is interviewed in the media or GALEO hosts an event, racist messages arrive at a more rapid pace, the organization he directs has had to request support from authorities, and investigations with private detectives and the FBI have been initiated in various cases.
Although the attacks against GALEO have not caused him harm, Gonzalez says that he always remains aware of his surroundings and tries to take precautions.
“I pay attention to where I park my vehicle, and I try to make sure my family is not affected," says Gonzalez. "Fortunately, the building where our office is located is quite secure, and if I feel that any message I receive is dangerous, I report it to the authorities."
The activist blames the recent threat received by Rich Pellegrino on the attitude that State Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), one of the authors of Law 529, Sam Olens, chairman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, and Neil Warren, the sheriff of Cobb County, have demonstrated toward the immigrant community.
To Gonzalez, these incidents are the result of their rhetoric on immigration, which has obvious racial overtones.
“Chip Rogers, Neil Warren and Sam Olens have created an environment where people feel they can get away with this kind of action, because if they’re talking about immigration in the way they’re talking about it, then it’s okay for others to react in this way, it’s okay to target immigrants, it’s okay to discriminate against Latinos,” says Gonzalez. “They have created an environment where immigrants are treated as less than human.”
Pellegrino agrees, saying the three lawmakers are partly to blame. "They're the ones who have initiated this anti-immigrant climate," he says.
The Cobb County Police Department is expected to conduct an in-depth investigation and determine the perpetrators of the threats.
Jerry González of GALEO says the threats will not intimidate him. “We are working to build a new Georgia, one that includes the Latino community, awakens the voices of tolerance and promotes unity," says González. "We should work together."
CHIP ROGERS DISAGREES
The Republican state senator and author of various legislative projects considered to be "anti-immigrant" by the immigrant community, labeled Gonzalez’s comments as ”defamatory and libelous," adding that there was no substantiation for his comments that the activist's goal was to create a hostile environment. He also expressed his concern over the threat received by Pellegrino.
“My family and I have been the targets of violent threats, so I know exactly how difficult this can be for a person's family and loved ones,” said Rogers. “I pray for Mr. Pellegrino's safety and well-being.”
THREATS FORCED HER TO MOVE
But the racist attacks are too much for some Latino groups.
Venus Gines, a Puerto Rican activist and the founder of Latina Woman's Day, who has been working to provide health services to Latino families for nearly a decade, had to move to another state due to the racist attacks she has received in Georgia.
“We’ve been experiencing threats since 2006 when they trashed the mobile unit for Latina Woman's Day," says Gines. "For that reason, we moved from the little house in Norcross to Santa Fe Mall, where there was better security." Gines adds that her organization received four threats during 2006 and 2007. All were reported to the police, but they were unable to turn up any leads.
Gines, who says she fears more for the safety of her patients than for her own, decided to continue her fight in Texas, far away from messages like, “Even though you survived cancer, you will not survive us” – one of the last threats that motivated her to make the decision to move to another state.
"I'm going to continue my mission and go back to work with the Mexican consulate on other health care projects,” says Gines.
Photos by Judith Martínez-Sadri/Atlanta Latino.
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User Comments
nativessayno on May 29, 2008 at 09:38:28 said:
humanrightsfirst- The rule of law is important no matter how you attempt to use it as a rhetorical talking point for open borders.
Jim Crow is a legacy of a very terrible tyranny that took away newly gained rights from former slaves and was shameful and cruel. The Third Reich obviously were malignant and evil.
To compare us so-called "scoundrels and tyrants" to these historically worst of the worst for being opposed to rampant illegal (25MM and many more on their way), immigration is exceedingly insulting and thoroughly incorrect.
So again, the rule of law will NEVER become irrelevant and to reiterate my former comment; We are talking about illegal worker fraud immigrants. You act as though the people coming here are completely powerless victims without responsiblity for their welfare or actions. Could not disagree with you more.
Jim Crow, The Third Reich and anti-illegal posters are comparable how? Insidious propoganda and unclear logic is incorrect, highly inflammatory and counterproductive.
How is justice to let illegals make up their own laws once they sneak over here? Honestly, I don't get that.
humanrightsfirst on May 28, 2008 at 16:14:04 said:
The "rule of law" was used by scoundrels and tyrants to justify repression of unpopular or minority groups in society throughout history. When "Jim Crow" was the law, black people who sat at "white only" lunch counters were lawbreakers who needed to be punished. When the Third Reich passed laws requiring Jews to live in ghettos in Warsaw upon pain of death or imprisonment, those who rose against them were crushed under the justification of the "rule of law." The question is not the rule of law, it is justice. Global justice is the important question. How we treat the poor of the entire world is the important question. All the anti-immigrant commenters on this article should ask themselves if they would find the "rule of law" just if they were on the "illegal" side of the fence?
Darrin on May 28, 2008 at 14:22:37 said:
Regardless of any individual perspective on the issue of illegal immigration, No one deserves to be subjected to real or perceived threats of physical violence due to their ethnicity, citizenship status, or financial condition.
The reality of the "illegal" immigration issue is that the proliferation of immigrants seeking employment continues because AMERICANS are continuing to demand cheaper labor.
The real outlet for the "rage of the American" should focus on the American who knowingly conducts illegal employment practices. If conditions were set which supported legal employment of people who are not citizens of the US, there would be more demand for applications for citizenship and work visas. However, because there are employers who neither desire or intend to obey the laws of their state or their country, the present conditions exist proliferate.
As for the issue of illegal immigration as it pertains to the social welfare system, it is very much the case that the social welfare system was fully dysfunctional as an apparatus for the improvement of the condition of the individual family unit well before "illegal immigration" became a mantra of American society.
With regard to the race issue, once conditions exist in which the relative worth of a person is not determined by cultural, ethnic, religious, or gender classifications, we as a society will truly melt. by and large, the predominant conceptualization of America is not as a melting pot, but rather an assimilation pot. Surprise! Racism is alive and flourishing well in America.
ailicec on May 28, 2008 at 08:11:36 said:
For those opposed to Immigrant Rights, guess what, you are opposed to Human Rights and Worker Rights. That is what we are fighting for. Undocumented immigrants are not criminals because breaking Immigration law is a not a criminal offense.
What part of HUMAN don't you understand?
What part of WORKER don't you understand?
americangal4ever on May 26, 2008 at 12:01:04 said:
chuck baldwin for president
www.constitutionparty.com
Largest 3rd Party Presidential Candidate Says Latest Amnesty Bill Affront to Soldiers: Urges Voters to Show Outrage In November
Constitution Party’s Chuck Baldwin Only Candidate Voicing Ire Over Senate’s Underhanded Pro-Amnesty Ploy
Lancaster, PA: America’s fastest-growing and largest third party based on voter registrations (Ballot Access News) points to yet another ‘in-your-face’ pro-amnesty bill as further proof the two parties controlling government have ignored the will of the American people on the issue of illegal immigration.
“What the pro-amnesty elitists could not do in the sunshine, they are attempting to do under cover of darkness,” noted Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin (www.baldwin2008.com). >“Inexcusable. That is the only way to describe the fact that both parties have tried to hoodwink the American people. By attaching an amnesty provision to a bill designed to provide for our soldiers in Iraq, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Iraq Supplemental Funding bill (appropriations.senate.gov) is being used as a vehicle to give a free ride to illegals,” Baldwin added.
Long critical of illegal immigration (www.chuckbaldwinlive.com) and the two party collusion that has allowed it to continue unchecked, Baldwin further noted, “Will elected officials who keep ignoring the will of the people on illegal immigration stop at nothing, even if it means using the honor of our soldiers to push yet another velvet-glove amnesty bill?”
The bill contains provisions which would grant upwards of a million and a half illegal workers and their relatives amnesty.
“The language in this bill uses a chicken-little approach to push amnesty - falsely claiming farmers won’t have the seasonal help they need without this provision. Fact is, agricultural workers using H-2 visas could come here, work on farms and then return to their native countries. This is the way it was done for years in this country. Now we have millions of illegals who come here initially as farm workers and often times leave those farm jobs and become a burden on the infrastructure of the country. The taxpayers’ backs are breaking by having to pay to educate, incarcerate and medicate those here unlawfully,” Baldwin noted.
High website traffic at www.constitutionparty.com in the wake of the party’s nomination of the staunch secure-borders, anti-amnesty presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin, shows Americans are considering the third party option in November in light of the likelihood that pro-amnesty GOP contender John McCain and pro-amnesty Democrat contenders Clinton and Obama would be their other ballot options.
“I am the only Presidential candidate who has the will and determination to protect the United States from illegal immigration." Baldwin said.
Brittanicus on May 26, 2008 at 10:02:09 said:
Other states are now catching on to the innovative fact, that they to have the power to enforce anti-illegal immigration laws. Outside the rhetoric, lies and propaganda fed to us by the biased press and the immense influence of the special interest lobby. Arizona has proved to American states that we can do, without being overrun by the illegal immigration invasion. So Arizona and a few other states have enforced the \'Rule of Law\' without being subservient to the pro-illegal immigration entities. For those who fear (ICE) and a growing consortium police departments, that now have the power to question and arrest illegal foreign nationals. No longer welcome by the residents of Arizona, illegal families are leaving in droves, and now longer a costly expenditure on taxpayers.
Where do you think the illegal immigrants are fleeing to, that have left Arizona? On the other hand, with the new predator employment sanction laws being enforced, Arizona is finding a most agreeable resurrection from the pestilence that had fed of the social welfare programs. The state has watched in amazement as highways have become less congested, the emergency rooms not crowded with foreign nationals getting free health care and the schools occupants have suddenly thinned out, and children getting more attention. These are just a few of the economic upturns, since illegal families started fleeing.
Who knows their destination California or may be...Utah? Other state are already following Arizona sudden rebound, including Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Rhode Island. If you like the designation of a \'Sanctuary city\' or sanctuary state, keep pandering to the special interest lobby. Read about Arizona\'s sudden turn-around at ( mensnewsdaily.com/2008/05/15/striking-changes-in-arizona-as-illegal-immigrants-flee-the-state/#comment-62672 ) More intelligence for you to absorb. (newswithviews.com/Stuter/stuter125.htm) See unsuppressed details at NUMBERSUSA. By Demanding that the potentates of the Democratic party co-author the Federal SAVE ACT (H.R.4088) we can \'SAVE\' American jobs and our future.
SoOverIt on May 26, 2008 at 09:46:10 said:
I hate to break it to these nitwits, but the three named politicians had very little to do with how people feel about illegals. Why they continue to try to represent them as immigrants is beyond me. Illegals are NOT immigrants. They're criminals, plain and simple. We, the citizens of Georgia, are drawing our line in the sand and Mr Pellegrino is a whiny baby. You want to get in the middle of helping criminals? Then be prepared for what comes your way.
Ben Martin on May 26, 2008 at 02:56:01 said:
Give me a break. The criminals are are saying that they are getting threatened? And the true people that make threats. is indicated in the reconquista post right in front of me,"jrosas." Hey jrosas, I understand your anger, your mother was a prostitute, and you aren't sure which criminal in your house, is your father. And to make matters worse, american citizens paid to feed and clothe you, since all your parents knew how to do, was steal from american citizen!
nativessayno on May 25, 2008 at 21:57:49 said:
Such dreck. You found three people that are the target of malicious activity; but then use it to support infiltration of so-called Latino immigrants. We are talking about illegal worker fraud immigrants. If many factions of citizens in GA do not want to be inundated by persons that should NOT be there, by your logic they are: racists and hate groups supporters.
The lack of objectivity and false conclusions are so lopsided as to be absurd. Some people in the US are bigots. Most are not. This fallacious "leap" to a conclusion that citizens should just step down and permit illegals to do as they please is not going to win the day for you ultimately.
legalatina on May 25, 2008 at 21:25:50 said:
Always the race card...it\'s getting so overdone...it\'s always the illegal aliens and their supporters who use it and abuse it. It\'s shameful. Illegal aliens need to realize that they are no longer welcome, no longer will be allowed to receive special treatment and no longer will be catered to.....Americans want them out of this country. The sooner the better.
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