“We will act decisively in order to protect our citizens and will actively promote that those guilty of these vicious attacks are brought to justice expeditiously. We are working hand-in-hand with local authorities on all levels,” said the Consul General of Mexico in New York, Rubén Beltrán in a statement emailed to an Advance reporter.
“In response to the escalating violence against Mexicans in Port Richmond, Staten Island, the Consulate General of Mexico in New York is posting personnel that will remain in the borough until further notice. This, in order to safeguard their rights and effectively assist and provide information to the Mexican residents of this area,” Beltrán wrote.
Ruben Beltran, the counsel general of Mexico, condemned the latest spate of alleged Staten Island bias crimes. Back in April, Beltran appeared with Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Borough President James P. Molinaro in the aftermath of several other incidents that occurred at the time. The Mexican diplomat also called upon local authorities to “conduct a thorough investigation” of the alleged hate-crime cases. He also offered “extensive cooperation and all the necessary support to ensure that justice is served.” Beltran could not be reached for additional comment.
Yesterday, the victim in the most recent attack, a 40-year-old Mexican immigrant whose name is being withheld by the Advance, was back in his Mariners Harbor home, recovering after a group of men swung a scooter at his head, breaking his jaw Friday afternoon.
“They hit him from the back,” said the victim’s brother. “He can’t eat nothing, only liquids, soup.”
The victim — a construction worker who has lived in the U.S. for the past 20 years
— was on his way to a deli after playing soccer at Faber Park when police say he was assaulted by five black men yelling racial epithets.
“They don’t like us because we are Mexican,” the victim’s brother told the Advance yesterday.
As police continued to investigate that possible hate crime in Port Richmond, authorities have closed the book on two earlier robberies initially thought to be bias incidents.
Authorities yesterday said two suspects, Anthony Jones, 21, and Waheeda Sadick, 20, both of Ann Street in Port Richmond, have been convicted on robbery charges for the violent muggings of two Mexican immigrants on April 23 and April 26.
Jones pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery in exchange for six years behind bars, while Ms. Sadick pleaded to third-degree robbery in exchange for five years of probation, said William J. Smith, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.
Though prosecutors had asked the grand jury to consider hate crime charges in both incidents, jurors voted not to include those charges in the indictment.
“The D.A. has said before in public, these cases are very difficult to prosecute because in addition to proving motive, you have to prove what’s in someone’s heart,” Smith said.
The muggings, both of which took place in the Port Richmond area, were investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force as part of a string of attacks and robberies committed by black youths on Mexican immigrant victims.
In the two attacks from April, Ms. Sadick, who is described as Asian-Pacific, struck up conversations with the two victims, distracting them long enough so Jones, who is black, could rob them, according to authorities.
Both victims recalled Jones and Ms. Sadick shouting anti-Mexican slurs at them, a law enforcement source said.
In the April 23 case, the duo took a wallet while Jones assaulted the victim, according to an indictment against the two.
In the April 26 case, the duo set upon the victim as he walked along Castleton Avenue near Port Richmond Avenue in the early morning hours. Jones wielded a baseball bat, and attacked the man, and the two ran off with a wallet and a cell phone.
Police tracked down Ms. Sadick on May 10, and Jones on May 13. Both were indicted a week later, and both pleaded guilty earlier this month.
“I think people are very grateful that the convictions occurred,” said the Rev. Terry Troia of the non-profit Project Hospitality. “That took two people off the street that committed these crimes.”
So far this year, the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force has investigated more than twice as many incidents as possible bias crimes compared to the same time frame last year. Many of the recent cases have centered around the Port Richmond neighborhood, which is home to a growing Mexican population.
Earlier this month, Fernando Mateo, president of Hispanics Across America, offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions in a half dozen separate bias incidents since this past April.
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