Guest Column
Hate crime in Georgia strikes at Dia de la Mujer Latina
By Venus Ginés
Many of you know how our organization, Dia de la
Mujer Latina, Inc is dedicated to fighting cancer in our medically
underserved Latino Community. Now we have another enemy. It is called
Racism.
On September 26th, we arrived at our Center only to find our Salud Mobile
Van vandalized. This is our most effective outreach vehicle for cancer,
diabetes and HIV education and screening for Georgia's Latinos.
Incidentally, we had just returned from Día de la Mujer Latina in Tifton the
Saturday before the grisly murders of 5 Mexican Immigrants, the rape of 2
Latina wives w/their children witnessing; and the brutal beating of 6
others.
Our Van's tires and wheels were taken and the Van left on its axles w/6
cement blocks underneath, front and back bumper torn up and windows rolled
down in the rain. The emergency key (always left underneath the Van) was
also gone (so they could have stolen the Van w/o all the effort if it was
simple robbery). They did not remove the TV/VCR, tent, T-shirts or anything
else inside the Van, they did leave a message. Their signatures began
w/Master...
We have been devastated with this latest incident but saddened at the police
officer's lack of interest when writing up the report. He wrote the wrong
address and even stated there was no evidence left on the scene, when in
fact, he pulled the piece of wood w/message out w/his foot. The officer did
report that this was not gang related but possibly a hate crime. To this
date, there have been no further calls from the police or FBI. We are not
sure if this is due to their workload or the fact that we are a Latino
organization.
This month we celebrate Breast Cancer A awareness month, Domestic
Violence Awareness, as well as Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, all these
programs that we advocate. I’ve survived breast cancer and know full well
that God has a mission for me to accomplish. We may have been stripped of
our wheels but we will prevail…
SOCIAL INJUSTICE: Hate Crime or Racial Profiling- It is still wrong for
America.
Historically, the voices of the oppressed, especially people of color have
been silenced. As we begin to uncover our past, the oppression we
experienced is being detailed, however embarrassing it may be. To continue
the silence would be a detrimental step backwards. (Venus Gines, December 4,
1997)
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once described
riots as the “voice of the unheard.” This has been the mantra of many
African Americans and American Indians since their days of subjugation.
American history has chosen to ignore accounts of their plight and rarely
acknowledge their accomplishments. Starting with the first settlers who came
to America from Great Britain, Spain or France, there were racial tensions
with the Native American. Many lost their homes, their families and their
land all in the name of “progress”. Next were the African slaves who were
forced to come to this country in chains, again for the benefit of “economic
development”. For decades, both of these racial groups fought back
valiantly to receive only a pittance of what the white man possessed, yet,
as we observe today, only a few are relegated to token positions of
leadership; many are disproportionately affected by chronic diseases, such
as Cancer, AIDS, Diabetes and Heart Disease; countless children are going to
bed hungry and afraid; and the prisons are overcrowded with these victims of
social injustice. These are the very ingredients for racial unrest in the
making.
For the last four decades, Georgia has witnessed a growing trend of new
faces from Latin America that is changing the color of the South. Latinos
are making an incredible impact both on the economic, as well as the
societal front. They are establishing communities, building infrastructures,
providing the fruits, poultry & vegetables for our kitchens, beautifying the
landscape of our cities and towns, and sometimes working under hazardous
circumstances for low wages rather than being unemployed. Yet, like the
African American and Native American before them, Latinos are also targets
for vicious attacks, assault and battery, rape, vandalism, and even murder.
Latinos in Georgia are experiencing problems of racial discrimination, such
as, barriers to full access to education, health services, political
participation, hate crimes and racial profiling.
Such discrimination is compounded by socioeconomic status, but most often by
the apathy that exist within law enforcement. Hence, there must be an
honest assessment as to genesis of racial tensions that lead to riots,
mayhem and loss of live to determine the role, if any, by law enforcement.
As with cancer, if left unchecked, it will destroy the very essence of
Southern multiculturalism and lead to another riot, worst than the LA Riots
of 1992.
Case in point, these are the stories circulating among Latinos during the
last 6 months in Georgia:
ü A Salvadorian pregnant woman was found murdered in Norcross. No news
coverage or police follow up because the city was caught up with the Runaway
Bride story??
ü A Colombian woman was falsely arrested and told to strip her clothes
off, leaving her naked in the cell for 10 hours. The police claimed that
they were concerned that she would use the clothes to strangle herself??
ü A Cuban American businesswoman was falsely arrested because of
racial profiling. Although she attempted to explain that she brought a new
car and the insurance card did not reflect that yet, the Doraville police
officer became verbally offensive in his assumption that she was like any
criminal because of her ethnicity??
ü A Latino Community-based non profit organization, founded by a
Puerto Rican breast cancer survivor, who focuses on health & wellness for
the Latino poor, became a victim of vandalism and hate crime, yet the police
wrote an erroneous and incomplete police report, showing total apathy in
what transpired??
ü The grisly murders of 6 Mexican Immigrants, the raping of 2 Latina
wives w/their children witnessing; and the brutal beating of 6 others in
Tifton, Georgia. Although the lynching episodes had been occurring more
often, the police failed to give it much attention until the news media
carried the story internationally??
_______________________________________________________________________
Venus Ginés, M.A. is CEO/Founder, Dia de la Mujer Latina, Inc., and Founder
of Intercultural Ctr for Health & Wellness, Inc. Contact Email:
venusgines@bellsouth.net
Web Site:
www.diadelamujerlatina.org
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