This past weekend, the 10th anti-Mexican attack in about four months happened in Port Richmond, Staten Island.

In this latest attack, a 17 year old coming home from work in the early morning hours was beaten, robbed of 10 dollars and called anti-Mexican slurs. NY1 News television is reporting that a suspect is in custody. That suspect a 15 year old African American teenager.

And here’s what people don’t want to talk about. It’s an issue I have raised over and over again. We get plenty of hateful comments from people claiming to be African-American and/or black. How do all of our communities talk about this among our respective communities and with each other? Another NY1 report on television today raised the issue of the increased police presence in the neighborhood and how this presence and fear of police asking their immigration status is keeping even more immigrants inside their homes. We must also acknowledge and come to terms with the fact that in NYC there is already evidence of racial profiling against blacks and Latinos. So what happens when a series of ethnically motivated crimes against one group of color invites the police to more interaction with both?

Further complicating this is the request from the NYPD for help from the Mexican community in Port Richmond, with promises of rewards and anonymity. Given that NY State is soon set to become a Secure Community State and that U Visas, “granting temporary legal status to those who suffer substantial physical or mental abuse in specified major crimes”, seem to be set up to help those willing to submit members of their community to the criminal justice system, where is the real incentive for the immigrant and Latino community at large to solve this problem? How do we bridge the chasm in the divide and conquer politics that right/white wing, who are equal opportunities haters, are taking advantage of?

The federal government and it’s legislators are sending the wrong signal to the rest of the country. There is the constant meme of the criminal undocumented and not enough talk about how a lack of movement on any type of immigration reform, is De Facto support for hate crimes against the undocumented and perpetuates invisibility.