When an Ecuadorian immigrant was killed by a group of white men on Long Island last month, the title of the story was “Hispanic Attacked By White NY Gang, Dies.” However, in this new hate crime story, the headlines do not mention that the killers were black.
A 31-year-old Ecuadorean man who was beaten last Sunday in what NewYork City authorities say may have been a hate crime has died at aQueens hospital, his brother said Saturday.
Jose Sucuzhanay and his brother, Romel, had left a party onDecember 7 at St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church when several menapproached them in a car in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, policesaid. The men allegedly began shouting anti-gay and anti-Latinovulgarities at the two men.
Jose Sucuzhanay suffered severe head trauma and was taken to Elmhurst Hospital. He died Friday night from his injuries.
Romel Sucuzhanay, 38, escaped with minor scrapes and has talked with detectives on the case.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she was “horrified tolearn that anti-LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual) andanti-Latino slurs were used by one or more of the assailants, raisingthis event to the level of a hate crime.”
Quinn said she was in touch with the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force.According to police, however, the attack has not been categorized as ahate crime.
“This is a wake-up call and shows how far we still must come to address the devastating problem of hate crimesin our communities,” said Diego Sucuzhanay, Jose’s brother, in awritten statement. “Only by exposing these crimes and working togetherwill we be able to make a difference.”
No arrests have been madein the case. Police are offering a $22,000 reward for informationleading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the attack.
Sucuzhanay’s mother arrived Saturday in New York from the family’s homeoutside Quito, Ecuador, only to learn that he son had died, said familyspokesman Francisco Moya.
He said the victim had lived inthe United States for more than a decade and was a legal resident,working as a real estate broker.
A news conference is expected to be held Sunday afternoon.
Media bias: See suspect police sketch–note lack of description in above story.