Ecuadorean Jose O. Sucuzhanay and his brother Romel Sucuzhanay were walking down a New York Street on December 7, 2008 when a car driven by Keith Phoenix pulled over with Phoenix and Hakim Scott shouting anti-Latino and anti-gay remarks. Phoenix and Scott got out of the car and began attacking the two men. Jose ended up in the hospital.
Wednesday December 10, 2008, Jonathan Lemire and Albor Ruiz (New York Daily News) reported that Jose had been taken off life support Tuesday, December 9, 2008. Jack Healy (New York Times) reported December 13, 2008 that Jose had died and his mother had been en route from Equador to see her son. Jose passed away after the assault in which he'd been beaten with a glass bottle and an aluminum baseball bat.
Hakim Scott was convicted of manslaughter on Thursday. He was not found guilty of hate crimes. C.J. Hughes (New York Times) reports:
Mr. Scott, who sat expressionless in a dark suit while the verdict was read, was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. His lawyer, Craig Newman, said he would appeal, because, he said, hitting someone with a bottle should not rise to the level of a manslaughter conviction.
"He's upset that he was in the car with someone who committed these acts and was dragged along with him," Mr. Newman said.
Poor killer. All he did was smash a glass bottle over Jose's head and go after his brother with the glass fragments. Poor killer. He's upset, is he, that he was "dragged along" with Phoenix, someone "he was in the car with"? If Hakim Scott had kept his ass in that car, it's doubtful he would have been charged with anything. But he wasn't just a passenger in the car.
And he didn't just step out of the car, he attacked Jose, he busted Jose's head open and left him bleeding for Phoenix to attack with the baseball bat.
Hakim Scott is a killer, a homophobe and a xenophobe.
He is, in fact, many, many things; however, innocent is not one of them.
By avoiding the hate crime charges, the jury gave Killer Hakim Scott a maximum shot at 40 years. It's doubtful he'll serve forty years.
WYNC spoke with NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn who stated, "The fact that this jury didn't get it right and clearly the fact that this hate crime occurred at all sends a clear message that we have more work to do in this city."
Phoneix's jury is deliberating still and may deliver a verdict Monday or may continue deliberating.
But one jury's already sent the message that some lives have less value. It's a message that echoes throughout US culutre. For example, click here to go to Jose Sucuzhanay's Wikipedia page.
What's that?
You clicked and found there was no page. Right. Again, some lives have value, some don't. That is the message.
It can be found at The Village Voice as well. Steven Thraser writes:
The attack took place in Bushwick on November 30 of last year. The two Sucuzhañay brothers had been walking arm in arm when Scott and Phoenix attacked them. Scott was convicted of breaking a bottle over José's head, then chasing Romel with it. He stood by while Phoenix reportedly beat José with a baseball bat on the ground so hard, he cracked his skull open.
November 30th "of last year" would be November 30, 2009. Uh, no. Wrong year, wrong month. This morning Albor Ruiz (New York Daily News) explains, "On Dec. 7, 2008, Sucuzhanay, 31, and his brother, Romel, 36, who was visiting from Ecuador, had been drinking at a church party and later at Mexican restaurant. The two were holding on to each other as they walked home along Bushwick Ave. at 3:30 on that fateful Sunday morning."
An NYC story. A hate crime story. A man attacked and killed because he was thought to be gay (he wasn't) and because he was thought to be Latino (he was). An immigrant, in fact. Amy Goodman should be all over it. Only last week she played stupid. It wasn't always that way.
For example, Jose's mattered December 12, 2008:
Ecuadorian Immigrant Clings to Life Following Apparent Hate Crime
Meanwhile, in New York, an Ecuadorian immigrant is on life support following an apparent hate crime. Thirty-one-year-old Jose Sucuzhanay was attacked early Sunday by unknown assailants. The attackers reportedly shouted anti-gay and anti-Latino slurs before assaulting him with a baseball bat. Sucuzhanay has been declared brain dead and is on life support.
Ecuadorean Immigrant Dies After Brutal Beating
In New York, an Ecuadorean immigrant who was brutally beaten with a bottle and baseball bat by men shouting anti-gay and anti-Hispanic slurs has died. Jose Sucuzhanay was thirty-one years old.
After that, Goody lost interest. Maybe because the next development was in March 2009 when suspects were arrested? Maybe because the suspects were African-Americans?
If it's White-on anything violence, Goody's all over it. But Black-on-Brown violence? Goody's just not interested. Which is why there were no further updates, which is why this attack on an immigrant, this attack on an immigrant assumed to be gay, suddenly became a non-story to Goody while every other NYC story is treated as NATIONAL NEWS!!!! by her.
The thing that will really stir tensions is Latinos noticing just how many left outlets are staying silent on Jose's death and the trial of his killers. But, as we noted at the top, some lives get valued more than others.