Residents: Unemployment May Fuel S.I. Attacks
STATEN ISLAND (CBS 2) ― There is no question that there has been an uptick in attacks on Staten Island. That's clear from the police presence on every corner. What's less clear, as CBS 2's Kathryn Brown reports, is whether the assaults are biased against Latinos or simply crimes of opportunity.
Residents refer to the attacks as knockouts, short for "knocking out a Mexican and taking their cash on pay day."
"They already tried to get me twice and I had to run so hopefully they catch the guys," said resident Antonio Rodriguez.
The latest incident happened early Saturday morning when, according to police, two Black men and one Latino man assaulted, robbed, and hurled racial slurs at a 17-year-old boy walking home from work.
The case was being handled by the NYPD hate crimes unit, but as with the several similar incidents, it has been a challenge for investigators to nail down a primary motive.
Is it racial bias, or simple robbery?
Resident Delphine Butler acknowledges the growth of the Latino community on the Island has everyone on edge. "The average Mexican immigrant is working five days a week. There's young men here who can't get a job," she said. "Nobody has the right to attack anybody but I am saying it causes tension and frustration."
Dozens of police lining the streets and new temporary security cameras were evidence the NYPD was taking the threats seriously.
Elected officials were in a furor over the string of seemingly biased assaults, and community groups were outraged, but the latest attack happened despite the heavy blanket of security.
Many in the Hispanic community worry about life after the frenzy dies down. "If they try to take care of us that's good enough but I don't know for how long they're going to stay here," Rodriguez said.
