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Luis Ramirez Update: Administration Opens Door to Justice in PA Murder

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News broke yesterday that over half of the police force in the tiny Pennsylvania town of Shenandoah, PA – including the chief – have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges brought by the Obama administration for obstructing a federal probe of a brutal hate crime and murder.

You may remember the horrific 2008 case of Luis Ramirez who was beaten to death by three teenagers — for nothing more than the way he looked. As Ramirez lay unconscious at their feet, the teens yelled to a young white woman by his side:

Tell your effin Mexican friends to get the eff out of Shenandoah or you’re going to be laying next to him!

An all-white jury delivered a slap on the wrist to the assailants despite overwhelming evidence, acquitting them of committing a hate crime and shocking the nation.  The Obama administration then initiated an investigation, and now the wheels of justice are finally turning.

In a statement released today by the U.S. Department of Justice, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Tom Perez said:

Violence motivated by bigotry and hate has no place in America, and yet it remains all too prevalent in many of our communities. The Civil Rights Division stands ready to bring perpetrators of hate crimes to justice.