There is nothing good about the death of Luis Ramirez. Nothing. And the aftermath of this man’s beating death has been equally bad: for his family, his community, and the young men responsible for his beating.

This week, we report on the trial in Pennsylvania.

Ethnic slurs landed along with the body blows and kicks to the head. And they signal that something more is going on. Barry Morrison writes a good piece about the killing of Luis Ramirez. “Racists ranging from neo-Nazis to Klansmen to racist skinheads have co-opted the anti-immigrant movement, turning immigrants, primarily Hispanics, into the prime target of their venomous speech and behavior.”

He reminds us that the senseless beating of Luis Ramirez did not happen in a vacuum. It sent a signal to the community of Latino immigrants in Pennsylvania and all their neighbors. As Morrison points out: “Bias and hatred infect the entire community, not just the intended target.”

Is it that extension of bias—like metastasis—into the fabric and tissues of a community that makes some crimes hate crimes?