News
RACIAL HARMONY SOUGHT AT VIGIL
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| The crowd holds candles during a vigil to commemorate the life of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala and support his family Tuesday evening. Jacqueline Dormer / Times-Shamrock |
SHENANDOAH — A candlelight vigil Tuesday night for an illegal Mexican immigrant fatally beaten earlier this month was marked by impassioned calls for racial unity and justice.
BY DUSTIN PANGONIS
STAFF WRITER
SHENANDOAH — A candlelight vigil Tuesday night for an
illegal Mexican immigrant fatally beaten earlier this month was marked by
impassioned calls for racial unity and justice.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a national Hispanic civil rights organization, held the memorial for Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, 25, who died July 14 from injuries he suffered after being assaulted, allegedly by a group of white teenagers, on July 12.
With an ethnically diverse crowd of about 150 people, the vigil’s public comment period ran more than an hour with calls for racial unity in the small community.
“I want to offer (Hispanics) an official welcome to this town,” resident Lou Ann Pleva said to applause.
“You’re the only one!” Jose Perez shouted from the crowd, later saying that he has lived in Shenandoah for seven years and has not felt included by the town’s white residents.
“We’re waiting for that moment,” Perez said.
At a press conference before the vigil, MALDEF staff attorney Gladys Limon said, “MALDEF is gravely concerned about local officials’ initial responses to the homicide of Luis Ramirez, including rushing to the defense of the alleged, the delay in the investigation and charges, and reckless statements that can only encourage hostility toward the immigrant community.”
Limon said MALDEF has asked the FBI and Department of Justice to monitor the investigation, and called on Congress and the next president to fix the “broken, archaic immigration system.”
In an interview at the press conference, John Amaya, a legislative staff attorney for MALDEF, said historically, anti-immigration sentiments have been fueled by economic problems, and that Chinese, Germans, Irish and other nationalities have faced discrimination in the U.S.
“People need something intangible to blame, and right now, it’s the immigration debate,” Amaya said.
Amaya said he has followed comments to articles on The Pottsville REPUBLICAN & Herald Web site, republicanherald.com, and said some posts claiming no charges should be pressed because Ramirez was in the country illegally are not supported by legal precedent.
“The Supreme Court has in fact said that undocumented residents do have constitutional rights,” Amaya said.
Amaya also said the war on terror has negatively shaped people’s perceptions of other races. Even when he brings up the above economic and historical points to “supposed experts” on C-SPAN, Amaya said, their next response is “I remember Sept. 11.”
“What about this has anything to do with Sept. 11?” Amaya said.
Amaya said he walked the streets of Shenandoah to speak with citizens and found most felt pain and shame about the incident.
John Garcia, communications strategist for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, came to the same conclusion.
“Overwhelmingly, people were outraged by this, and I talked to mostly non-Latinos,” Garcia said. “The town is against this.”
Garcia said racial violence divides the community.
“There’s people standing on this side and people standing on that side of the street,” Garcia said, pointing to residents lining the sidewalk across from the press conference site.
Amaya said the negative comments come from a “vocal minority” that borough residents should speak out against.
“Shenandoah has an opportunity and a responsibility to push all that venom back,” Amaya said.
Most talk at the vigil focused on how to begin the healing process over the incident and how to promote behavior to avoid further violence.
“We need to start teaching children from birth and make them realize there’s only one race, and that’s the human race,” one resident said, her voice cracking on the last two words as the crowd applauded.
Mayor Thomas F. O’Neill Jr. apologized for comments by borough officials that might have been harmful or misinterpreted. He asked for forgiveness and pledged to work to bring the community together.
Limon also praised O’Neill at the press conference for his “commitment to work in a meaningful manner … to educate himself and the community on issues of ethnic diversity, for the betterment of the entire community.”
Ramirez’s fiancee, Crystal Dillman, said if anything good came out of his death, it would be a change toward acceptance of all races.
“This is just the first step,” Limon said at the end of the vigil, urging those attending to continue to not only speak of tolerance at the vigil, but to practice it every day. “It’s up to you now.”
Three teenagers from Shenandoah have been charged in the beating: Brandon J. Piekarsky, 16, and Colin J. Walsh, 17, were charged as adults with homicide and ethnic intimidation. Derrick M. Donchak, 18, was charged with aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation and other offenses. All three played football at Shenandoah Valley High School last season.
Charges are pending against another 17-year-old, who authorities say will be charged as a juvenile.
dpangonis@republicanherald.com, 570-628-6005
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a national Hispanic civil rights organization, held the memorial for Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, 25, who died July 14 from injuries he suffered after being assaulted, allegedly by a group of white teenagers, on July 12.
With an ethnically diverse crowd of about 150 people, the vigil’s public comment period ran more than an hour with calls for racial unity in the small community.
“I want to offer (Hispanics) an official welcome to this town,” resident Lou Ann Pleva said to applause.
“You’re the only one!” Jose Perez shouted from the crowd, later saying that he has lived in Shenandoah for seven years and has not felt included by the town’s white residents.
“We’re waiting for that moment,” Perez said.
At a press conference before the vigil, MALDEF staff attorney Gladys Limon said, “MALDEF is gravely concerned about local officials’ initial responses to the homicide of Luis Ramirez, including rushing to the defense of the alleged, the delay in the investigation and charges, and reckless statements that can only encourage hostility toward the immigrant community.”
Limon said MALDEF has asked the FBI and Department of Justice to monitor the investigation, and called on Congress and the next president to fix the “broken, archaic immigration system.”
In an interview at the press conference, John Amaya, a legislative staff attorney for MALDEF, said historically, anti-immigration sentiments have been fueled by economic problems, and that Chinese, Germans, Irish and other nationalities have faced discrimination in the U.S.
“People need something intangible to blame, and right now, it’s the immigration debate,” Amaya said.
Amaya said he has followed comments to articles on The Pottsville REPUBLICAN & Herald Web site, republicanherald.com, and said some posts claiming no charges should be pressed because Ramirez was in the country illegally are not supported by legal precedent.
“The Supreme Court has in fact said that undocumented residents do have constitutional rights,” Amaya said.
Amaya also said the war on terror has negatively shaped people’s perceptions of other races. Even when he brings up the above economic and historical points to “supposed experts” on C-SPAN, Amaya said, their next response is “I remember Sept. 11.”
“What about this has anything to do with Sept. 11?” Amaya said.
Amaya said he walked the streets of Shenandoah to speak with citizens and found most felt pain and shame about the incident.
John Garcia, communications strategist for the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, came to the same conclusion.
“Overwhelmingly, people were outraged by this, and I talked to mostly non-Latinos,” Garcia said. “The town is against this.”
Garcia said racial violence divides the community.
“There’s people standing on this side and people standing on that side of the street,” Garcia said, pointing to residents lining the sidewalk across from the press conference site.
Amaya said the negative comments come from a “vocal minority” that borough residents should speak out against.
“Shenandoah has an opportunity and a responsibility to push all that venom back,” Amaya said.
Most talk at the vigil focused on how to begin the healing process over the incident and how to promote behavior to avoid further violence.
“We need to start teaching children from birth and make them realize there’s only one race, and that’s the human race,” one resident said, her voice cracking on the last two words as the crowd applauded.
Mayor Thomas F. O’Neill Jr. apologized for comments by borough officials that might have been harmful or misinterpreted. He asked for forgiveness and pledged to work to bring the community together.
Limon also praised O’Neill at the press conference for his “commitment to work in a meaningful manner … to educate himself and the community on issues of ethnic diversity, for the betterment of the entire community.”
Ramirez’s fiancee, Crystal Dillman, said if anything good came out of his death, it would be a change toward acceptance of all races.
“This is just the first step,” Limon said at the end of the vigil, urging those attending to continue to not only speak of tolerance at the vigil, but to practice it every day. “It’s up to you now.”
Three teenagers from Shenandoah have been charged in the beating: Brandon J. Piekarsky, 16, and Colin J. Walsh, 17, were charged as adults with homicide and ethnic intimidation. Derrick M. Donchak, 18, was charged with aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation and other offenses. All three played football at Shenandoah Valley High School last season.
Charges are pending against another 17-year-old, who authorities say will be charged as a juvenile.
dpangonis@republicanherald.com, 570-628-6005
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