Teens Convicted of Murdering Luis Ramirez Sentenced to 7 Months in Jail

FROM:



by Mariela Rosario | 06.18.2009 | 9:45am |

Crystal Dillman, the fiancee of Luis Ramirez, is moved to tears as members of Latina (a Chicago-based activist org) show their support. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Brandon Piekarsky, 17, and Derrick Donchak, 19, received 7- to 23-month sentences for their roles in the brutal murder of 25-year-old Mexican immigrant Luis Ramirez. It is a case that has galvanized the community of Shenandoah, Penn., creating a hotbed of racial tension in a blue-collar town. An all-white jury convicted the two teens of misdemeanor simple assault. However, they were acquitted of all felony counts, including aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation—charges that would have carried lengthier sentences, and perhaps left the children and fiancée that Ramirez left behind with a sense of justice.

Judge William Baldwin acknowledged the brutality of the attack and the seemingly light sentences that he was handing down to the teens, but he noted that he could only pass a sentence in keeping with the charges the boys were found guilty of. "This wasn't any fight; this was a group of young athletes ganging up on one person. That's not a street fight," Baldwin said, refuting the defense use of the term "street fight" to describe the beating that left Luis Ramirez in a coma for two days before he passed away. "You picked out a guy who wasn't one of you and beat the pulp out of him."

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has since sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recommending that he pursue civil rights charges in the case. "The evidence suggests that Mr. Ramirez was targeted, beaten and killed because he was Mexican," Rendell said. "Such lawlessness and violence hurts not only the victim of the attack but also our towns and communities that are torn apart by such bigotry and intolerance."

Ramirez's fiancée and the mother of his two children, Crystal Dillman, stood bravely before the court, filled mainly with supporters of the teen killers, and read a statement, saying, "He was my one and only love, and they took him away from me, and they took my children's father."

Gladys Limon, staff attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund pointed out the frightening 40 percent rise in hate crimes against Latinos between 2003 and 2007 and called on Congress to strengthen hate crime laws. "The failure to hold these defendants responsible for their atrocious crimes denies justice not just to the Ramirez family," Limon said, "but also to the entire community by failing to deter similar crimes in the future."

VISIT MALDEF.ORG TO SIGN A PETITION IN SUPPORT OF THE HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2009.

This is what Hate looks like

SENT By: Martha

Just in case you didn’t see this – aunque yo se que tu estas 'al tanto de todo'! ~ Martha

No, I hadn't seen it until your email arrived, bu I really wish I was 'on top of everything' as you say, but the good news is that dear sisters and brothers like you who are in Cyber circles of activists, keep me informed and up to date on many issues.

Good work,

Thank you querida

---

From: James Rucker, ColorOfChange.org [mailto:no-reply@colorofchange.org]
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 11:42 AM
To: Martha
Subject: This is what hate looks like

Dear Martha,

A Black man is beaten to death by White teenagers after they assault him with racist slurs. The attackers tell the man's friends they'll be next if they and "their kind" don't leave town. Then, the attackers are cleared of all serious charges by an all-White jury.

We know this type of story all too well given the history of Black folks in this country. This time, the story is about a Latino man--Luis Ramirez--killed because he was a Mexican immigrant. Luis' murder is part of a growing trend of hate-based violence against Latinos, and most elected officials have been unwilling to even acknowledge it.

ColorOfChange exists to fight for the interests of African-Americans and amplify our political voice. But when we see this kind of hate directed at another group of people, we want to make sure our members have an opportunity stand up against it. Our friends at Presente.org are calling on the governor of Pennsylvania to break his silence, now.

Please join them to create a level of public outcry that can't be ignored--and please invite your friends and family to do the same:

http://colorofchange.org/ramirez/?id=2174-60140

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

Here is the email Presente.org sent out to their members:

---

Luis Ramirez is dead for two reasons: he was Latino and an immigrant. The time for change and accountability is now. Will you stand with us and demand Governor Rendell speak out?

Dear Presente.org member,

After they had beaten Luis Ramirez to death, the white teenagers who attacked him sent an ominous message to Luis' friends:

Tell your f**king Mexican friends to get the f**k out of Shenandoah or you'll be f**king laying next to him.¹

Just over a week ago, two of Ramirez's killers were acquitted of all serious charges by an all white jury², with the jury foreman making it clear that justice for Ramirez had no chance in the small town of Shenandoah, PA:

I believe strongly that some of the people on the jury were racist. I believe strongly that some of the people on the jury had their minds made up maybe before the first day of trial...And I believe the four boys that were involved the most are racist. I absolutely do...³

Thanks to the hard work of MALDEF and others, the Department of Justice is now looking into Ramirez' death.⁴ But that's only part of what's needed. Where are the leaders in the State of Pennsylvania? Why has the governor had nothing to say? His silence is shameful.

Until our elected leaders speak up, we can expect more stories like Luis'--not just in Shenandoah, but across the country. Governor Rendell owes it to Pennsylvanians and Latinos everywhere to condemn and speak out on what's happened. Together we can demand that he does. Please click the link below to add your voice and ask your friends and family to do the same. It takes only a moment.

http://presente.org/ref/ad/9/campaigns/ramirez

If Luis Ramirez's death were an isolated event it would be outrageous enough. Sadly, it's part of a growing trend of racially motivated violence against Latinos, particularly in rural communities. According to the FBI, hate crimes against Latinos rose 35% between 2003 and 2006.⁵ And as author David Niewert writes, the target of hate crimes goes beyond their immediate victims: "The purpose is to terrorize the target community, to drive them out, eliminate them."⁶

That kind of intimidation only works only if the people who are targeted remain silent, and officials in positions of power remain unaccountable. That's why we need to speak out and let folks across the country know we won't tolerate hate and violence towards our communities. It starts with demanding that the Governor of Pennsylvania make clear that anti-immigrant hate has no place in Pennsylvania. It's time for him to show leadership now.

Join us in calling for him to speak out:

http://presente.org/ref/ad/9/campaigns/ramirez

Thank you and Adelante!
The Presente.org Team

References

1. "Town struggles with fallout from immigrant's fatal beating," CNN, 7-31-2008
http://tinyurl.com/64u2sk

2. "Jury acquits teens of murder in Mexican immigrants' beating death," Associated Press, 5-2-2009
http://tinyurl.com/p8gusl

3. "Jury Foreman Calls Other Jurors Racist," WNEP, 5-2-2009
http://tinyurl.com/da6mcg

4. "Luiz Ramirez Hate Crime Petition," MALDEF, 5-5-2009
http://tinyurl.com/c24jvb

5. "The Year in Hate," Southern Poverty Law Center, Spring 2008
http://tinyurl.com/r6ldef

6. "A jury's hate-crime verdict in rural Pennsylvania reinforces the racial divide," Crooks and Liars, 5-3-2009
http://crooksandliars.com/node/27858/

MALDEF: 25,000 Voices and Counting Demanding justice for Luis Ramirez; join us!

SENT BY: Cynthia I.

25,000 people have signed the Luis Ramirez Petition in the last 72 hours. From every state and territory in the country someone just like you has spoken out against the discrimination, racism, and violence that claimed the life of 25 year old, Luis Ramirez and for this we thank you. In addition to our efforts to ensure justice for Luis Ramirez’ family, we have also been working closely with the Shenandoah Latino community. They are grateful for the outpouring of support from people of all backgrounds throughout the country in this time in which they feel especially vulnerable and are seeking equality and peace in Shenandoah. We ask that you continue to stand in solidarity with those suffering from this tragedy in the spirit of peace and justice. In addition to signing and forwarding the Luis Ramirez petition, you can support the Ramirez family and local community by raising consciousness in your own community with these messages of justice, peace, and equality. In the Luis Ramirez case, the Department of Justice recently announced the launch of an investigation into his death. This is a critical first step and we will continue to press forward so that federal hate crime charges are soon filed against the assailants who killed Luis Ramirez. Everyday, our dedicated attorneys and staff work to defend the civil rights of the Latino community and ultimately hope to prevent the violent acts that took the lives of Marcelo Lucero, Jose Sucuzhañay, and Luis Ramirez, all victims of brutal hate crimes. For example, after many efforts with our partner organizations, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 was just passed by Congress with a vote of 249-175 and has now moved to the Senate. Thank you for your continued support and for standing with MALDEF and the co-sponsors of this campaign Democracia Ahora, LULAC, NALEO, NCLR, Voto Latino, and MATT. Sincerely, Henry Solano Interim President and General Counsel MALDEF P.S. By forwarding this email you help spread the word and get others to sign as well. We are relying upon you to help bring justice to Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.

Make sure you receive MALDEF email updates. Add
info@maldef.org to your approved senders list.

MALDEF NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
Los Angeles Regional Office
634 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Tel: 213.629.2512

© 2009 MALDEF
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Immigrant death defendant complains about school

5 hours ago

POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania teen charged with killing a Mexican man has lost a bid to be sent to private school on the taxpayers' dime.

Brandon Piekarsky is charged with third-degree murder in the July beating death of 24-year-old Luis Ramirez.

Piekarsky's school agreed to provide home instruction and a computer with Internet access while he awaits trial. But the teen says he has been getting only a few hours a week of tutoring and says his computer came late and without Internet access.

Piekarsky asked a judge this week to force the Shenandoah Valley district to pay for a private school. The judge has declined the request but ordered the district to live up to the deal.

Three other teens face charges in connection with the death.

Somos Latinas 100 stand in front of the public entrance to the Schuylkill County Courthouse on Monday in Pottsville.

Demonstrators rally outside courthouse

Demonstrators with Somos Latinas 100 stand in front of the public entrance to the Schuylkill County Courthouse on Monday in Pottsville. Monday

BY STEPHEN J. PYTAK
AND STEPHANIE LASOTA
STAFF WRITERS
spytak@republicanherald.com
slasota@republicanherald.com

Published: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 10:14 AM EDT

Demonstrations at the Schuylkill County Courthouse on Monday morning briefly interrupted court proceedings, incited several verbal clashes and honored a Shenandoah murder victim's fiancee.

More than 40 activists, who arrived about 9 a.m., supporting immigration and civil rights chanted and carried banners outside while a preliminary hearing for three Shenandoah teens charged in the July 14 death of an illegal Mexican immigrant was under way within.Watch the demonstration

Brandon J. Piekarsky, 16; Colin J. Walsh, 17, and Derrick M. Donchak, 18, were facing a preliminary hearing for the beating death of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, 25, of Shenandoah. Ramirez died July 14 from injuries he suffered in a beating July 12.

As the demonstrators chanted in Spanish, Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker recessed the hearing at 9:50 a.m. because of the noise. He asked the sheriff's department to control the situation.

"So we asked them to keep it down so the hearing could continue," Schuylkill County interim Sheriff Harold J. Rowan said.

Emma Lozano, executive director of Centro Sin Fronteras, Chicago, Ill., said, "Our goal was not to stop the preliminary hearing, but to show support to Crystal (Dillman, Ramirez's fiancee) and to make a statement against hate crimes. So we did quiet down so they could continue."

The hearing resumed after about five minutes.

"There were a couple in-your-face arguments, but there were no altercations," said Schuylkill County Sheriff's Deputy Maj. Dennis Kane, who patrolled the parking lot during the demonstrations.

"They're peaceful. We anticipated something like this happening and we had no problems," Rowan said.

Members of Somos Latinas 100 and Centro Sin Fronteras, both of Chicago, Ill., the New York-based May 1 Coalition and Pittsburgh Friends of Immigrants said Ramirez's death sparked their visits.

Just after noon, Dillman met with the demonstrators. Somos Latinas 100 presented her with a monetary donation, one of their flags and a round of applause. The group would not release the amount of the donation.

"Thank you," Dillman said, after being applauded by the group.

"She's a white woman who had the courage to say (Ramirez) was a human being," Lozano said.

The demonstrations angered a few other visitors to the courthouse, including Ron Hannivig, Simpson, Lackawanna County, and Debby Rabold, Effort, Monroe County, who said they were concerned about illegal immigration.

"We are in support of the Shenandoah boys," Rabold said.

"What I'm seeing here, I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. If there's a standoff here, it's going to get ugly," Hannivig said.

Ceci Wheeler, a member of Pittsburgh Friends of Immigrants, represented her group Monday at the courthouse. She said she's shocked some people aren't recognizing Ramirez's beating as a crime.

"That's inhumane. That's intolerable and we hope the judges serve justice," she said.

"We're not here to judge the youth," said Lozano. "We're here to say that the real criminals that caused this situation are not even on trial: those who created this situation that manipulated young people and other people into thinking they have to fear the Latino community, that it's an invasion and all of this other stuff. And people are starting to believe that."

While members of the May 1 Coalition carried banners, Somos Latinas 100 was fronted by a contingent of 15 women, ages 14 to 27. They dressed in black, wore identical fuchsia-colored berets and marched in time.

Representatives of Somos Latinas 100 would not identify themselves by name, since the organization is about unity and members want to avoid having one individual stand out from the rest.

"They're at war against the hate crimes and racial profiling," Lozano said.

Four male representatives of Somos Latinas 100 carried the flags of Mexico, El Salvador and Puerto Rico.

When asked why they didn't fly an American flag as well, a 21-year-old Somos Latinas representative said: "It wasn't a matter of not being patriotic. It was about uniting people of Latino decent for the Latina campaign."

The May 1 Coalition was formed after millions of people marched on May 1, 2006, in Los Angeles and New York City for basic rights for all immigrants, according to member Arturo Perez, New York.

The group speaks out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, calling the raids a violation of basic civil rights.

Members left New York at 3 a.m. Monday to drive to Pottsville.

Outside the courthouse, members carried signs reading, "Justicia para el Mexicano Luis Ramirez asesinado en Shenandoah" — "Justice for Mexican Immigrant Luis Ramirez killed in Shenandoah."

Heather Cottin, 65, of Long Island, is a white woman and a history teacher at a community college in Long Island. She's also a member of the May 1 Coalition.

"It's not as if this is the latest news — racism. Unfortunately it's in the history of this country," Cottin said. "If you can't potentially love all human beings, then what do you have here?"

She said the U.S. immigration and trade systems are broken and legalized government immigration raids are making it worse.

"It's really a government policy right now to stir up hatred against immigrants," she said.

Mike Gimbel, a delegate to the New York City Central Labor Council, called deportations "vicious bigoted attacks."

Gimbel, a Pennsylvania native living in the Poconos, said real change is needed in rural areas.

"The big efforts have to take place in a rural community like this..." Gimbel said. "The city is more sympathetic to the labor movement."

"We want to unify people of all nationalities, colors and genders. Without unity we can't fight for our rights," Gimbel said.

Wheeler said the Ramirez case prompted Pittsburgh Friends of Immigrants to attend and stand up for all immigrants who have experienced hardship.

"We are all advocates for immigrants' rights ... So anything that happens to members of our immigrant community, we're going to be there," Wheeler said.

Also standing outside were Mickey and Dottie Redmond, Ringtown. They said their 17-year-old son was a witness in the case, but they couldn't get into Courtroom 5 because it was overcrowded.

"I hope they send it to juvenile court, at least," Mickey Redmond said.

About 12:20 p.m., many demonstrators for the Latino community departed, marching clockwise from the courthouse entrance just off Sanderson Street, south on North 2nd Street to a charter bus, waiting on Laurel Boulevard.

Lozano said demonstrators from Somos Latinas 100 and Centro Sin Fronteras were heading to Philadelphia.