Police: Arson At Mexican Restaurant May Be Hate Crime

[kskiska]

Profanities Sprayed On Walls Of Torched San Diego Restaurant

A case of arson that caused thousands of dollars in damage to a Mexican restaurant in an unincorporated part of San Diego's East County appears to be a hate crime, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Arson investigators were dispatched around 11:55 p.m. on Monday to a fire at Mariachi's Mexican Bar and Grill, 12868 Campo Road, in an unincorporated area of El Cajon, San Diego sheriff's Lt. Edna Ito said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but it caused about $10,000 damage to the exterior of the building. No injuries were reported

Investigators said the arsonist sprayed anti-Mexican profanities on the building in red paint before starting the fire. The person then broke a window, poured gasoline inside the restaurant and set the building on fire.

more…
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/8619012/detail.html

[AndyA]

1. Those Republicans, what will they think of next to promote

love between the races and unity for all mankind?

:sarcasm:

[MADem]

2. Bastards!!!!!!!

First, the friken GOP made it difficult to go out for some good Middle Eastern food. Then, they started getting shitty about French food. Now, they are going after my fajitas and refrieds???

ENOUGH, DAMN IT--I happen to LIKE Mexican food!!!

Ignorant bastards!

[DBoon]

5. First they went after the sharwma

But because I didn't eat shwarma, I didn't speak up

Then they went after crepes

But because crepes bored me, I said nothing

When they finally went after fajitas, there was no-one left to help me speak out

The oppression must be stopped before we are all forced to eat fried bologna sandwiches!

[MADem]

6. Or worse, peanut butter, or peanut butter and banana, or jelly beans

...or the Nixonian cottage cheese and catsup!!!!

Republicans know nothing about edible food!

[Igel]

20. Gosht.

Pakistan is our friend.

[TomInTib]

9. I was in a bar in Boston

at the Colonnade Hotel (the Grande Old Dame of Backbay) during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.

The young ladies next to me were students at Harvard and worked at The French Library there.

They told me the Library was being vandalized every night.

[mainer]

13. Ah, the Colonnade! I LOVE Brasserie Jo!

Best french fries anywhere. I always stay there when I go to Boston.

[TomInTib]

15. Me, too!

That place is one of a kind.

Mike is one of the coolest bartenders anywhere.

I could write a small book on the stuff that has happened to me at Brasserie Jo.

[MADem]

17. I've been to weddings at the Colonnade!

Was it the Midland-Waco students doing the vandalizing, ya gotta wonder? Or some odd Bushies from other parts of the nation?

[TomPainesBones]

3. Republicans can be rallied to do anything

War, hate, violence, you name it.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ohiosmith]

7. Hot Damn!

:popcorn:

[High Plains]

12. Well, there's some wild speculation for you.

I'm usually willing to let the simplest explanation win:

Anti-Mexican graffiti and arson on a Mexican restaurant? Hmmm...

But I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[951-Riverside]

14. I wonder why my message was deleted

I simply stated I thought it was done by an insider like the owner, family member, anarchist, etc to inflame tensions and possibly to collect insurance.

Anyone still remember Professor Kerri F. Dunn at Claremont McKenna College?

Here is a link to the story: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/18/national/main607092.shtml

[High Plains]

19. Maybe because a baseless claim like the one you made seems

designed to inflame tensions itself.

But then again, I see all kinds of baseless claims posted here, so who knows? Ask a moderator.

[951-Riverside]

23. Re: "Baseless claims" :)

I'm not begging anyone to agree with me and I'm going to change my opinions to conform with anyone else's, obviously some feelings are going to be hurt because I don't share their opinions I can't change that.

As for the stories that I cited that you refer to as "baseless claims" actually happened although I can't find links for two incidents because its been MANY years I did give you a link about the Claremont Incident which I'm sure you've selectively chosen to ignore.

Face it people do these things when these is an overflow of emotions, Bush did it after Sept 11th and continues to do it, thats why people should not act on emotions or believe everything.

Its not that hard to pick up a paint can, spray racially offensive crap all over the place, invite the media over and further inflame people.

Ask a moderator.

I was allowed to repost the comment so I guess the issue was resolved.

[High Plains]

32. The "baseless claim" I referred to was your speculating that

the owners (or an anarchist) had done it, with absolutely no evidence whatsoever.

I don't doubt your claims about the other incidents. In fact, I remember the Claremont professor.

[alarcojon]

33. Didn't catch your original post

But it seems clear from this one that you BELIEVE someone associated with the restaurant did this. Based on what? Some unrelated two-year old story for which you happen to support the police side of the story? Get back to me when you have something a little more concrete.

To paraphrase you: Its not that hard for a hate-filled individual to pick up a paint can, spray racially offensive crap all over the place, and torch the place to intimidate Mexicans.

[Solly Mack]

8. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Rile the haters up with fear and watch them

destroy and kill.



Pick a scapegoat for all the problems in the country - pick a group to focus on - so all the frustration and anger in the country can be turned on to the scapegoat du jour - then dehumanize the group of people that will bear the weight of America's wrath - then sit back while the haters do their thing.

and people fall for this gross and criminal manipulation each and every single time.

[TriMetFan]

10. It was about to start happening.

I'm American/Mexican and just today I had some treat me like I was nothing but shit on thier shoes.

[astroBspacedog]

26. A Race War-----

Just might divert the attention of the criminal action that is being exposed at the moment, --- in the White House.

[Initech]

11. What racist assholes, I hope they get serious jail time.

[slackmaster]

18. Probably asshole racist teenagers

There are plenty of dumb hicks in that part of the county.

[Initech]

21. In El Cajon? Hell yeah!

Even here in Orange County - I've noticed the bigotry has been in full force - Mexican restaraunts around here are damn near empty.

[Ian David]

16. Remember Martin Niemoeller-- Speak out now for the immigrants

"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”

--Rev. Martin Niemoeller

More:
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/niemoeller.html

In 2002 they came for the Muslims.
In 2004 they came for the gays.
Now, in 2006, they're coming for the immigrants.

I am not an illegal immigrant.
I am not an immigrant.

But I will speak out for all immigrants-- legal and illegal-- because their fight is my fight.

Their fight is everyone's fight.

We must speak out when they come for the immigrants.

We must speak out when they come for ANYONE.

We MUST speak out for ALL who are oppressed or scapegoated or marginalized, whether or not they spoke out when they came for YOU.


But by gawd, when you do, do not be shy about asking, "And did you speak out when they came for me?"



I am here and I will speak out for you, whether or not you spoke out for me.


And tell them, "don't you forget it!"


You speak out for them.

And let them know you're speaking out for them. No matter which "them" it is.

Today "them" is the immigrants.

Tomorrow YOU could become the next "them."

You speak out for them.

And you let them KNOW you're there, who you are, what you stand for, and you remind them who else needs speaking out for.


You ask them, "Did you speak out when they came for the Muslims in 2002? The gays in 2004? Why not? Well, I spoke out for them. And today I am speaking out for you whether you sat on the sidelines or not."


Let's lead by example. LOUDLY. And if some people need to be made a little ashamed of their past silence, then so be it. BUT WE WILL SPEAK OUT FOR THEM AND STAND WITH THEM.


ON TUESDAY, APRIL 10TH, THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE HEARD ARGUMENTS ON A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN GAY MARRIAGE!

SPEAK OUT FOR THAT, TOO!

Where people of good conscience can disagree is, "How much are we willing to sacrifice for them? How much of ourselves can we give?"

Where ever you stand on immigration or illegal immigration, we MUST remember this:

They are people.

They have rights.


They are worthy of respect and dignity.


We can argue over quotas and walls and taxes and paths to citizenship...


But where we can allow no argument is in the idea that they are HUMANS with HUMAN RIGHTS.


Speak out now for THAT.

We can sort-out the details of how we slice-up the socio-economic pie later.

Right now, these people are in DANGER.

Let's not argue over which seats they get in the lifeboat while they're drowning.

They need us to speak out for them NOW.

And when you're out there in the trenches with them, you tell them, "I am a progressive liberal democrat. I support freedom, equality and opportunity for everyone. I support you, I support equal rights, I support gay marriage, and I hope you do too."

Let them know your OTHER progressive liberal values, and that being a progressive liberal means you will fight for THEM, too.

More:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x899005

[IndianaGreen]

22. Republicans hate Latinos

and Freepers think that all Americans should look like them.

[xchrom]

24. you knew this was going to happen.

you could hear and feel the hate that was being spread.

freeper fucks -- whiny piss ants.

[ConcernedCanuk]

25. As if arson could be confused with an "affectionate" crime?

.
.
.

If someone burned my business, home or vehicle - I don't think I'd hafta make front page news to figure out someone didn't like me too much . .

OH

anyone notice the hundreds of Iraqis dying every day thanks to the USA?

hmm - right - we already know that

so that's just "normal" now

no need to put that in the news.

(sigh)

[tinfoil tiaras]

27. Damn you Mexican-haters.

I love my mexican food. And by the way, republicans, most Mexican resteraunts that aren't owned by Mexicans (that are owned by white people)-their food sucks.

What do republicans like to eat? Probably a big, juicy bacon double cheese burger with extra fries and grease and some sort of non-heinz brand ketchup (the gross off brand ketchup).

i like a good burger sometimes but man, thats overkill.

[Gman]

28. I'm kinda baffled here

If we were to commit a similar hate crime against the RW, I'm not real sure how we could even do it. What? Burn a Steak & Ale or Beef & Bourbon down? How about a McDonalds or BurgerKing? I can't think of something similar that would have the same, but inverse message.

The RW is so wierd. I'm looking for logic where there is none.

[RagingInMiami]

31. Morton's Steakhouse

[QC]

29. Damn red states!!!!! n/t

[RagingInMiami]

30. And so the battle heats up