Listen to this note:
A white man from Nebraska opened fire on 7 Guatemalan immigrants, including 4 children, who were only injured, in an act that the Police Department of Crete, the city where the attack occurred, described as hate and racism.
Last Monday, July 1, Billy Booth, a 74-year-old white man, at approximately 4:30 p.m. took his shotgun and opened fire from his property against his Guatemalan neighbors, including four children, who were in his garden.
The police report indicates that around 15 people, all relatives, were outside the house at the time of the events. After the incident, Booth committed suicide.
All victims survived.
The Guatemalan family that was attacked had previously informed the police about an episode in which Booth approached their house to make an obscene gesture at them, yell at them to go back to their country and demand that they "speak English."
Crete Police Chief Gary Young stated that investigators have not yet determined the reasons for the attack, however, racism is in the first place when taking into account the words that the attacker used in the previously described incident.
These types of acts of hate and racism have been increasing, but have been exacerbated thanks to the xenophobic and racist speeches of former President Donald Trump.
According to data from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, Trump's anti-immigrant speeches have fueled racist rhetoric, causing acts like these to become more common.
And the fact is that hate crimes against Latinos have grown in relation to his comments, skyrocketing by more than 50 percent in July 2018, when his Administration promoted the family separation policy at the border.
The issue is gaining strength again, especially with the recent debate that the former president had with the current president and Democrat, Joseph Biden, as he once again attacked immigrants, accusing them of harming the country.
In that sense, the Republican argued that immigrants come to the American Union illegally from "mental institutions" and ?insanity asylums?, in addition to referring to the fact that they arrive in the country illegally and are housed in ?luxury hotels? while the veterans are on the streets.
“We have to get a lot of these people out and we have to get them out quickly because they are destroying our country,” Trump said during the 90-minute debate held in Atlanta.
In turn, he highlighted that "due to (Biden's) ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming and killing our citizens at a level we have never seen."
Thus, the anti-immigration rhetoric of the Republican candidate for the November elections could generate more damage in a country where gun violence is at record levels and which has been called to address it as a public health crisis.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, hate crimes against the Latino population in the United States reached record levels in 2022, where 738 attacks were recorded and an increase of 21 percent compared to 2020, according to Agency figures. Federal Investigation and Intelligence (FBI).
This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to AC vs Hate.
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