Prosecute The HATE : Demand Justice for Luis Ramirez

Prosecute The HATE : Demand Justice for Luis Ramirez

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<p>Last year a group of teenagers brutally murdered Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.<br /><br />As Luis lay unconscious at their feet, the teens yelled to a young woman by his side: "Tell your effin Mexican friends to get the eff out of Shenandoah or you're going to be laying next to him!"<br /><br />Just last week an all-white jury found the teens "not guilty" of the serious charges of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation. The ruling was greeted with cheers in the courtroom, and gasps of disbelief from Luis's grieving fiancee and children.<br /><br />Today we're asking you to join with us and our friends at the Mexican American Legal Defense &amp; Educational Fund (MALDEF) to demand justice for Luis, his children, and his fiancee.<br /><br />Sign the petition to the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Demand that they prosecute Luis's murder as a federal Hate Crime:<br /><br /><a href="http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/m2/327374ab/1fb60e63/1ec131b9/6f202759/1730953514/VEsF/">http://www.AmericasVoiceOnline.org/ProsecutetheHate </a><br /><br />Afterward, the head of the jury said publicly "I believe strongly that some of the people on the jury were racist." He said that some "had their minds made up maybe before the first day." <br /><br />Hate crimes against immigrants are on the rise across the country.</p>
<p>Law experts on CNN have argued that "the only reason [Luis] is dead is because he was Mexican." It's becoming clear that in that courtroom an undocumented Mexican immigrant was seen as less than a man.<br /><br />Make sure justice is served for Luis Ramirez and the loved ones he left behind -- sign the petition and forward it widely:<br /><a href="http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/m2/327374ab/1fb60e63/1ec131b9/6f202759/1730953514/VEsC/"><br />http://www.AmericasVoiceOnline.org/ProsecutetheHate</a><br /><br />Together we can stand up to forces of extremism that threaten our country's best values by playing upon our worst instincts.<br /><br />Please send this email to 10 of your friends and loved ones now.<br /><br />Thanks for everything you're doing,<br /><br />Adam Luna<br /><br />America's Voice<br /><br /><a href="http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/content/prosecutethehate">http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/content/prosecutethehate</a></p>
<strong>Demand Justice for Luis Ramirez</strong>
<p>Sign the petition, in collaboration with MALDEF, to the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Demand that they prosecute Luis&rsquo;s murder as a federal Hate Crime.</p>
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<p><br />Honorable Eric Holder<br />Attorney General of the United States<br />U.S. Department of Justice<br />950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW<br />Washington, DC 20530</p>
<p><br />CC:<br /><br />U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE<br />CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION<br />950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.<br />Washington, D.C. 20530<br /><br />Chairs and Ranking Members, Senate Judiciary Committee<br />Chairs and Ranking Members, House Judiciary Committee<br /><br />We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice bring federal hate crimes charges against and prosecute those individuals responsible for the brutal murder of Luis Ramirez in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.<br /><br />On July 14, 2008, Ramirez was beaten to death by a group of teenagers who yelled racial epithets throughout the killing. Witnesses told how Ramirez was punched and kicked in the body and head causing him to foam at the mouth, to sustain two skull fractures, and ultimately, to die. A retired Philadelphia police officer said she heard one of the defendants yell to Luis&rsquo; friends, &ldquo;Tell your [expletive] Mexican friends to get the [expletive] out of Shenandoah or you&rsquo;ll be [expletive] laying next to him.&rdquo;<br /><br />On Friday, May 1, 2009, a jury found two of the defendants accused of beating the 25-year-old, father of two, guilty of simple assault. Despite the evidence of a hate-driven attack, the jury found the defendants &ldquo;not guilty&rdquo; of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation. We, the undersigned, are outraged by the circumstances and outcome of this trial, at a time when hate crimes against Latinos have increased 40% over the past few years and are on the rise.<br /><br />We respectfully request that you complete a full investigation, bring federal hate crimes charges against and prosecute those individuals responsible for Ramirez&rsquo;s murder, and send a strong signal that hate crimes will not be tolerated in our great nation.<br /><br />Signed,<br /><br /><a href="http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/content/prosecutethehate">http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/content/prosecutethehate</a></p>

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