As protests continue to take place nationwide as a response to police brutality against Black people, it’s now being reported that in Chicago, black residents are being harassed in Latino neighborhoods.
According to BlockClubChicago.Org, black Chicagoans are being targeted by Latinos in neighboring areas, by having bricks thrown at their cars.
Now, Latino leaders are asking for unity.
On Sunday, while people were protesting and marching to make a difference, residents of Little Village came together in an effort to protect businesses on 26th street, in an effort to prevent any looting.
Alderman Michael Rodriguez (22nd), reports that the men not only became “antagonistic” throughout the day, but they were were ”indiscriminately” antagonizing African Americans passing through Little Village, the outlet reports. Rodriguez witnessed a black couple go through a “gauntlet” while people threw different things at their car. He revealed that the couple was there to “patronize” a local business.
“It was terrible. They looked so frightened,” he stated.
A video-clip circulating online, shows Latino men posted up on the corner Kedzie Avenue and Cermak Road, while holding baseball bats, and throwing bricks at moving vehicles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA671atn_YV/?igshid=bg7vzkckg2rl
One driver even had their car set on fire.
“So these guys tried to come rob around the area,” a woman can be heard saying in the video.
These men protecting the streets of Little Village are presumed to be members of the Latin Kings street gangs, local leaders reveal.
In a Facebook Live uploaded by resident Luz Chavez, the men can be seen gathering with weapons such as bats and even metal pipes.
“Non-Black, Latinx gangs [are] armed with bats, machetes,” Chavez said. “Any car that passes by with Black people in it, they are yelling at it and throwing sh*t.”
According to Pastor Matt DeMateo of New Life Centers, outreach workers have been informing these individuals that in the midst of the protecting businesses, they don’t have to harm black people, which shouldn’t have to be told.
“This isn’t an anti-Black movement,” DeMateo said. “We are fighting for peace at all levels. We are fighting a pandemic. We are fighting the violence in our community. We are fighting now the challenges of everything that happened in the last week.”
DeMateo continued by calling the behavior of these men “unacceptable,” while adding that, “We stand with our Black brothers and sisters…We are in this struggle together.”
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), who represents Pilsen, has also responded to reports of targeted harassment against black people.
“We love our Black residents, we love our Black community,” he wrote in an official statement on Facebook. “We will not tolerate…[harassment] of our Black neighbors. … We [must] stand up together to the atrocity that we see. And harassment of our Black neighbors is an atrocity as well.”
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