May 8, 2009

Crystal Dillman had an eerie prediction that appeared on the pages of The New York Times last August. She questioned whether justice would be served following the beating death of her fiancee, Luis Ramirez, in Shenandoah, Pennsylvannia. She said of the four white teenagers charged in the incident: “I think they might get off because Luis was an illegal Mexican and these are ‘all-American boys’ on the football team who get good grades, or whatever they’re saying about them. They’ll find some way to let them go.”

One of the boys pleaded guilty to violating Ramirez’s civil rights and could be released from prison within three years. Another testified against the others, and was not charged. And an all-white jury acquitted the last two teenagers of all serious charges in the beating death, convicting them instead of simple assault which carries a one-to-two year sentence.

CNN producer Rose Arce has been following the story.

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Continue the conversation online at the Latino USA Blog.

A Latina Justice?

The nine men and women who sit on the Supreme Court of the United States are members of, perhaps, the most exclusive club in the nation: and they have one of the nation’s most interesting jobs. Every contentious social issue in the country is likely to make its way to their chambers for study, deliberation, and judgment. In a town filled with powerful people, theirs is studied and deliberate. And they normally hold the position for life.

So, the announcement that Supreme Court Justice David Souter would retire from the bench was surprising. Only 69 years-old, Souter is much younger than many of his fellow justices. Although Souter was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 as a “moderate,” he has sided with the liberal wing consistently. President Obama is almost certain to nominate a liberal justice. But speculation that he could put the first Hispanic on the court has many pundits suggesting that New York Judge Sonia Sotomayor may be on the short list.

CUNY Law Professor Jenny Rivera was once a law clerk for Judge Sotomayor. She now directs CUNY’s Center on Latino and Latina Rights and Equality.

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Continue the conversation online at the Latino USA Blog.

Laredo Revisited

There are several major U.S. border cities: San Diego, El Paso, Detroit - just to name a few. For anyone who grew up in a U.S. border town, crossing the border was a regular event. People would cross for shopping, recreation, even work or school. When border crossing became more difficult after the 9-11 attacks, commerce in border towns was effected.

Although the U.S.-Mexico war of 1848 split Laredo, Texas in two when the Rio Grande became the international border, relations between “los dos Laredos” have always been good. The family and business ties were so strong that, for decades, Laredo has been the nation’s largest land port for commerce.

But a few years ago, rampant border violence on the Mexican side seriously changed the community. The violence, fueled by dueling drug gangs, has since moved to other border regions. And as reporter Ruxandra Guidi reports, Laredo is now adjusting to the post-violence phase of its relationship with its Mexican counterpart.

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Laredo Post-Violence from NPR's Latino USA on Vimeo.