June 16, 2009 5:07 PM
A new report shows an increasing number of hate crimes against Latinos. Entitled "Confronting the New Faces of Hate" the report looks at the bigots in pinstripes who have helped stir the pot of hatred.
Published by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Educational Fund, the report had input from some of the most important civil rights groups in the United States. According to the report, the upsurge in violence against Latinos has been fueled by seemingly mainstream organizations like the Federation for American Immigration Reform and other groups quoted in the main stream media every day. Here is major excerpt from the findings of this study:
As inflammatory rhetoric targets immigrants at the same time that the number of hate crimes against Hispanics and others perceived to be immigrants steadily increases, a heightened sense of fear has gripped Hispanic and other minority communities around the country.
In one of the most disturbing developments of recent years, some groups opposing immigration reform, such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), and NumbersUSA, have inflamed the immigration debate by invoking the dehumanizing, racist stereotypes and bigotry of hate groups. While these seemingly “legitimate” advocates against illegal immigration are frequently quoted in the mainstream media, have been called to testify before Congress, and often hold meetings with lawmakers and other public figures, their virulently anti-immigrant rhetoric veers dangerously close to—and too often crosses the line beyond—civil discourse over contentious immigration policy issues.
The inflammatory anti-immigrant messages of these groups have successfully infiltrated mainstream media, including shrill anti-immigration reform commentaries from high profile national media personalities such as CNN’s Lou Dobbs and Talk Show Network’s The Savage Nation host Michael Savage. The unintended consequence of “media celebrities” vilifying immigrants as “invaders” who poison our communities with disease and criminality has been— and will continue to be—an atmosphere in which some people will act on these demonizing screeds—violently targeting immigrants and those perceived to be immigrants. Fear and vilification of immigrants has combined with the worst economic downturn in decades and the election of the first African-American president to cause a surge in the activity of white supremacist groups.
The report forcefully rebukes Steve Levy for his role in stirring up anti-immigrant hatred in Suffolk County.
The Leadership Conference report comes on the day that news broke of a plot by members of the Minutemen to rob and kill Latinos in Arizona.
The full report can be found here.