Brockton Racist on Killing Spree

Prosecutors allege that Keith Luke, 22, hatched his plan of racial vengeance months ago with the goal of slaughtering as many “Jews, blacks and Hispanics” as he could.

Cops piece together chilling details of tragedy (Jessica Fargen, Boston Herald)

• Luke knocks on the door at 103 Clinton St. at 12:20 p.m., armed with a 9 mm gun and a backpack containing a hammer, two pairs of handcuffs, a mouth gag and blindfold. He is allegedly intent on killing 20-year-old Selma Goncalves, his former neighbor.


• Selma’s older sister answers the door. Luke allegedly pulls the 9 mm from his sweatshirt pocket and forces his way inside. He handcuffs the woman and allegedly rapes her for 20 to 25 minutes.


• Selma returns home and bangs on the door.


• Luke gets dressed, grabs his gun and answers the door. He tries to pull Selma inside, but she resists and runs away.


• He allegedly shoots her several times in the back as she flees.


• Selma’s sister is kneeling on the floor, holding a large, stuffed white teddy bear. Luke allegedly fires several times and bullets rip through the teddy bear and into the woman’s chest.


• Selma runs outside and collapses.


• Luke retreats to his black van, parked outside, and reloads.


• He leans out the window and allegedly fires three to four shots at a “non-white” man who is tending to Selma before he speeds off.


• Luke sees a 72-year-old homeless man pushing a carriage on Clinton Street and pulls over. He walks up to the man and allegedly shoots him point-blank in the face as the man holds up his hand to protect himself. He allegedly shoots the man again in the back as he flees.


• Luke continues to drive down the street, allegedly looking for other non-whites to kill as a police chase ensues. He allegedly shoots at two police officers before crashing into several cars. He flees on foot.


• He tries to cock the gun as he runs before lying down on East Ashland Street and surrendering.

Links:
Photo series - BostonHerald

Video: Murder Scene 1 - 1/23/09

Video: Capture Scene - 1/23/09

Video of DA Timonthy Cruz' press conference 1/23/09

Video: Arraignment - 1/24/09

Brockton woman killed by gunman remembered for warmth, sense of humor

Cape Verdean mother of shooting victim to attend funeral

Slain man, 72, 'never bothered a soul'

Cops piece together chilling details of tragedy

‘I can still see her dancing’ says friend of Brockton victim

Suspect in Brockton slayings intent on carnage, police say

Prosecutor: Brockton suspect planned ‘mass murder’

Keith Luke Tried to Save the White Race

Accused Gunman Targeted 'Non-Whites,' Jews In Spree

Accused killer's father threatens cops, committed for treatment

City leaders decry hate crime at Brockton peace rally

Video: Brockton's Rabbi Joshua Cohen Speaks Out Against Hate

Robb Pearson: Confessions of a Former Anti-Latino Immigrant Activist

After a well-publicized change of heart, Robb Pearson, former anti-Latino immigration activist and blogger, is working to promote compassion and common humanity as a framework for the immigration issue and other issues.

Recently, Pearson sat down with 9500Liberty to discuss his conversion. Here' the interview in two parts:

Part 1: The seduction of intolerance - "We don't like "illegal" immigrants. Most "illegals" are Hispanic. Therefore, we don't like Hispanics."


Part 2: "Racism is an issue with the anti-immigrant lobby...I finally got to see the human face of the issue I had been against...I came to the realization that this isn't about politics. This isn't even about immigration. It's about our common humanity."


Links:
Robb Pearson's Opening Speech
Hate Society Claims Morristown

Another Brutal Attack on a Latino Immigrant in NJ

Colombian immigrant Wilter Sanchez, 33, was brutally attacked in Wednesday afternoon by a gang of hate-filled thugs in the town of North Plainfield, New Jersey.

Doctors at the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick say that Sanchez is lucky to be alive given his injuries. They are set to perform reconstructive surgery on Sanchez' face as soon as the swelling eases.

Five African American men between the ages of 17 and 19 young years of age were arrested for the hate crime.

Links: Otro brutal ataque racial
Operarán a víctima de ataque racial

The Social Contract Press Loves Bigotry

At a recent press conference the Social Contract Press received a cake and balloons congratulating them on their new report which blames immigrants for infrastructure problems in the United States. The Social Contract Press is listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and has strong ties to racist white nationalist organizations.

Related: Social Contract Press Lies to Voters

Justice, FBI & U.S. Attorney Launch Probe Suffolk County Anti-Latino Hate Crimes

The U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District today announced the launching of a joint probe of Suffolk County's handling of hate crimes against Latinos.

The investigation is in response to this complaint filed by the Manhattan-based LatinoJustice in the wake of the hate murder of Marcelo Lucero documenting a climate of hate and neglect towards Latino victims promoted and/or tolerated by Suffolk County officials.

Link: Feds probe handling of hate crimes
Assaults on Latinos Spur Inquiry
Justice Department probes Long Island hate crimes

Bush DOJ: No Legal Representation for Immigrants in Removal Proceedings

The Bush administration elevates its attacks on immigrants in its final days. According to EL Diario, the Bush DOJ ruled this week that immigrants in removal proceedings are no longer entitled to legal representation.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) managed to toss in yet another example of its warped perception of due process by denying immigrants the right to effective counsel. The Obama administration must reverse this un-American policy.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey issued a decision stating that immigrants in removal proceedings do not have a legal right to counsel, or to effective representation.

For a politician who enjoyed significant support from Latinos as governor of Texas and early on as president, George W. Bush's administration has amassed the most anti-immigrant record of any president in recent memory. Shameful!

More

Holiday Attacks on Mt. Kisco Latinos

The Journal News reports that four masked thugs assaulted two Latinos and attempted to rob a Latino business in Mt. Kisco over the Christmas holiday.

Mt. Kisco is an affluent town one hour north of mid-town Manhattan in upper Westchester County, New York. While an estimated 25% of the population is Latino, none of the town's elected or appointed officials is Latino.

While we don't yet have any information on the thugs, what we do know is that Mt. Kisco area Latinos are in the crosshairs of racists. Read some of the comments at the end of the article to glimpse what Latino immigrants in Lower Hudson area are up against.

Mt. Kisco police are 'investigating'. Of course, they have thus far failed to find any of the criminals responsible for the brutal slayings of 6 Latino immigrants over the past few years. Protecting immigrants and bringing anti-Latino criminals to justice just does not seem to be a priority for Mt. Kisco Police.

Photo: Fernando Mateo of Hispanics Across America and Westchester DA Janet DiFiore at a vigil for slain Latino immigrant Rene Perez.

The Damages of 'George the 43rd'

Bob Herbert adds up the damage caused by George the 43rd and wonders why Americans aren't out protesting. It's a critical question since the damage is so wide, so deep -- impacting just about everyone.

I agree with Herbert's list with one exception: he's left out the terrible damage George the 43rd has wrought to Latino and Muslim immigrants.

Using nativism to divide and distract from unpopular wars and economic policies is as low as you can go if you're a national leader -- and I believe George the 43rd went there (w/help from FOX & friends) while pretending otherwise.

The cabal that brought us swiftboating swiftboated immigrants of color and progress.

U.S. Justice Meets LatinoJustice re: Suffolk County Injustice

Investigators from the U.S. Justice Department met in New York with LatinoJustice regarding allegations of anti-Latino bias in Suffolk County.

LatinoJustice's complaint charges Suffolk County government officials with violating the equal protection clause in its treatment of Latino residents; stirring up anti-Latino resentment, indulging bigots and promoting hate speech through its anti-Latino immigrant proposals -- culminating in the hate killing of Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue.

While the DOJ has not yet launched a formal investigation, their presence last week in New York is reassuring.

As for the response from Suffolk officials, the usually ultra chatty Steve Levy has gone silent--as have his co-conspirators in the legislature. However, the county police are said to welcome any investigation--although spokesman Tim Motz claims that Suffolk's "hate crime statistics are essentially the same" as in other jurisdictions.

In addition to insulting the intelligence of county residents, the Long Island Latino community, the memory of Marcelo Lucero, as well as most U.S. counties without official campaigns against Latino immigrants, Mr. Motz misses an essential point: that the county's numbers are totally out-of-whack with reality -- reflecting the possibility of a systemic failure to protect Latinos residents.

Recommendation for Mr. Motz: Read the LatinoJustice complaint to learn about what's really happening in Suffolk County.

Moreover, the concern is not that hate crimes only happen in Suffolk County. No one is saying that. The concern for Latinos in Suffolk is that authorities are actively fomenting anti-Latino hostility. And it's not just the county. DOJ should also look at the embedded biases in the code enforcement, provision of services, staffing, and policing practices of a number of towns and villages--often in coordination with the county.

So, Mr. Motz and Mr. Levy should also welcome more 'sanctuary' sessions of the sort held at the church in Patchogue in which residents can step forward and tell the truth without fear, right? At least 20 hate victims came forward in Patchogue. How many more are out there that the bright lights of Suffolk County don't know about?

And while they're at it, perhaps DOJ should look closely at the embedded practices and attitudes which systematically undermine the rights of racial "minorities". For example, why are at-large election districts which ensure African American and Latino political under representation allowed? Why are racially segregated and unequal public schools condoned? How is it that Long Island manages to remain one of the most segregated places in the country even though people of color are a significant portion of the overall population?

Virgil The Loser Joins Growing List of Defeated Nativist Politicians

Incumbent Virgil Goode -- islamophobe and nativist -- was proclaimed the loser in the recount of the Virginia 5th Congressional district race. Democrat Tom Perriello bested Goode by a very close margin in a district which had been a reliably Republican.

Goode is one of a number of lackluster politicians using fear and nativist appeals to score cheap political points. Among other vile tactics, in '06 Goode chose to denounce--instead of honoring--the election in Minnesota of Keith Ellison to the U.S. Congress. Why? Because Ellison is a convert to the Muslim faith.

Thankfully, Goode and his ilk are joining a growing list of politicians associated with nativistic and xenophobic politics to be defeated. Often representing solid and/or leaning GOP districts, the list includes: George Allen, Elizabeth Dole, Lou Barletta, Thelma Drake, Tom Feeney, Ric Keller, Robin Hayes , Randy Graf, John Hostettler, J.D. Hayworth, John Shadegg -- as well as Tom Tancredo, Mitt Romney who were crushed in the GOP presidential primaries.

Related:
Perriello Declared Winner In VA-5
More immigration losers
A Clash between the Old and New America
Virgil Goode on Why the US Should Refuse Immigrants From the Middle East
Republican Congressman Refuses to Apologize for Islamophobic Remarks