Fired Up

I don’t keep up with the news as I should. However, my friend, Adam, informed me of something that happened in my home town of Spring, TX that has outraged me. Apparently, last weekend, two white teenagers severely beat a 16 year-old Hispanic boy because they believe he tried to kiss a 12 year-old white girl while at a party. They took him out, beat him and then sodomized him with a metal pipe…all while screaming racial epithets. And, as if this wasn’t bad enough, they covered him in bleach and left him for dead. In fact, the boy was not discovered until twelve hours later, barely alive. He is not expected to survive, either.

The two attackers, Keith Robert Turner (age 17) and David Henry Tuck (18) are currently charged with aggravated sexual assault. It has not yet been determined whether this should be classified as a hate crime or not, as the penalty, assuming the boy lives, would be the same. However, if the boy dies and it is a hate crime, Tuck could receive the death penalty. Turner, unfortunately, is too young to receive execution.

When Adam told me this, I felt sick to my stomach. I actually wanted to vomit. Not too long ago, another friend of mine told me that I’m very naïve. And while I am not sure if this is exactly what he meant when he said it, I’m realizing now how right he is. I avoid the news in any form. Mostly because it is too depressing. However, I really should be staying on top of things, because there is a lot of stuff going on that affect not only me, but my loved ones. For instance, this immigration issue (which I believe the aforementioned attack is a result of)...I know that there are a lot of Hispanic people not going to work today and not buying anything. I’m not sure how much of an impact their message will have, but I hope that it will have enough of one.

See, I don’t believe that I think like the majority of middle- to upper-class white males do. I don’t think that someone’s rights should be limited due to the color of their skin, the country they are from, their gender, sexual preference or whatever. Nobody should have to work extra hard to achieve something simply because they aren’t white or because they are a woman. It shouldn’t be more difficult for a Hispanic person to attempt to enter the country legally than someone from, say, Canada, but it apparently is. But this country was built by immigrants, whether legal or not. The majority of the people that are here illegally are here for a better life. To find jobs where they can actually make money to support their families. They work hard. A lot of them take on jobs that most others would pass on. They work in the hot sun. And they don’t receive the benefits that we take for granted. I don’t think people realize just how important and vital non-documented workers are to our lives. That’s why I hope that today’s protest (not going to work and not buying anything) has the impact that is intended. I’m not saying that we should just give citizenship to anyone and everyone. But I don’t think that what is being proposed is the right approach.

I don’t know if I’m really getting my point across, as I’m not used to speaking out, but I hope I have. We can’t just sit back and let things like this happen any more. We have the power to make changes, but most of us (including me) have been sitting on our lazy asses not doing anything about it. There is too much shit going on and we don’t have any excuses for not voicing our opinions and demanding changes and justice.

If you are a US citizen, you need to make them hear you by first registering to vote. But that’s not all, you have to actually get out and vote, otherwise, things will only get worse. And you can’t complain because you let it happen. Don’t let it stop at you, either. Encourage your family, friends and co-workers to register and vote.