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The Violence Of The State Of Pennsylvania 's Ethnic Intimidation Essay

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Luis Ramirez and his girlfriend are enjoying a quiet evening at Shenandoah Park on July 12, 2008, after hanging out with friends. That night the two ran into six drunk high school football players in the woods after leaving a party. The six men started to shout racial slurs toward the two, which later turned into a physical altercation, six against one. Derrick Donchak, one of the defendants, beat Ramirez with a thick piece of metal. At the same time, Donchak’s teammate continued to kick Ramirez in the head as he laid on the ground. As the beating continued, all six men screamed: “This is Shenandoah. This is America. Go back to Mexico.” Unfortunately, Ramirez died two days after, due to injuries sustained during the altercation (Lopez, 2012). These six men were charged as adults, while three of them, Piekarsky, Donchak, and Walsh were charged with homicide and ethnic intimidation. The state of Pennsylvania’s ethnic intimidation statute is defined as “the intention to commit any act, the commission of which is motivated by hatred toward the race, color, religion, or national origin of an individual or group of individuals” (Lopez, 2012). As the trial proceeded, the prosecution had witnesses testify against the defendants as well as a retired police officer who heard the racial slurs against Ramirez. Donchak was identified as the person who punched Ramirez and Piekarsky as the one who kicked him by multiple individuals including the four other teammates. Donchak and
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