Saturday, July 16, 2005

Oh, geez, big surprise- racism in SW Ohio

HAMILTON, Ohio - It started with the spray-painted, misspelled "Rapest" on the house of a Hispanic man accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old white girl. Then the house went up in flames in a suspected arson.

Confrontations, name-calling and threats against Hispanics followed. Men roamed the streets wearing pillowcases with eye holes, and Ku Klux Klansmen in hoods and robes showed up to pass out pamphlets. There were rumors of assaults and beatings.
This is deep in the heart of Ohio Bush country, where "American values" lead people to burn down houses and harrass people.
"Yes, there is fear," said Ramona Ramirez, who owns a corner deli-supermarket where she says business is off and her bread delivery man is now afraid to come. "They are attacking all the Hispanics, and it is only one person. We don't know what will happen."
I spent nearly 20 years of my life in SW Ohio. Hamilton is the town I used to go to see movies while in college. The whole region can seem like it's stuck in the 1950s, especially when the Klan shows up. It is just one of the many reasons I left Ohio.

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