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Beating Death of Baltimore Latino Is Latest in a String of Alleged Hate Crimes

Posted August 23, 2010 by Ted Hesson
Categories: National

In the early morning hours on Saturday, 51-year-old Baltimore resident Martin Reyez was beaten to death with a piece of wood, the latest in a series of attacks against Latinos in the city.

Later Saturday night, police arrested 19-year-old Jermaine Holley, who confessed that his motive was not robbery, and that he “hated Hispanics.” Holley was charged with first-degree murder as a hate crime.

The Baltimore Sun reports on the police reaction to the recent spate of attacks:

Authorities are concerned by the series of assaults, which includes a fatal shooting last weekend. Guglielmi said Holley does not appear to be linked with the other incidents. He said officers are not looking for direct links between the crimes so much as reasons why Hispanics might have been targeted.

Criminals might believe some Hispanics are easy targets because of possible language barriers or a reluctance to call the police, Guglielmi said. Residents who are concerned about their immigration status should not be afraid to call the police, Guglielmi said.

“Our message to the community is to call us. This is not an immigration issue. It’s just a public safety concern. There’s a lot of misinformation in the community that if people call us, immigration will become involved,” he said.

He said the department’s deputy commissioner has authorized 24-hour foot patrols of the Southeastern District and said the mayor’s office is helping officers work past language barriers in the Hispanic community.

The attacks in Baltimore come at a time when Staten Island has also been in the national spotlight for hate crimes against Latinos. In a recent article about the crime problem in Staten Island, some Latino immigrants said that fear of police kept immigrants from reporting attacks.

Tags : baltimore, hate crimes, staten island

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