The white man who attacked a Latino U.S. citizen with acid and left him with severe burns across his face has been charged with a felony hate crime. “Prosecutors filed one charge against Clifton Blackwell—first-degree reckless injury—but added the sentencing enhancers of hate crime and use of a dangerous weapon. The two enhancers could add 10 years in prison if he's convicted of first-degree reckless injury, which is punishable by up to 25 years,” NBC Washington reports.
Blackwell attacked Mahud Villalaz outside a Mexican restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last week, first harassing him over his parking spot before launching into a racist attack that included questioning his legal status and telling him to get “the hell out of our country” before throwing acid at him. The horrific attack, which was caught on surveillance video, left Villalaz with second-degree burns across his face and ate through his clothes.
A police search of Blackwell’s home explains why he was carrying acid in the first place: The Washington Post reports that authorities “found hydrochloric acid, four bottles of sulfuric acid and two bottles of drain opener made of lye, according to court documents.” The 61-year-old, who is currently being held at Milwaukee County jail, already has a violent criminal record, convicted in 2006 for false imprisonment and pointing a gun at a person.
Villalaz, who is originally from Peru and has called the U.S. his home for two decades now, had no doubt from the start as to why he was attacked. "I believe [I] am a victim of a hate crime because [of] how he approached me telling me to 'get out this country.’ This is pretty much a terrorist attack,” he said. Research by HuffPost has found 800 instances of racist attacks involving also “go back” or “get out” rhetoric, with many of these instances also becoming physically violent.
Local and national advocates who had been calling on prosecutors to charge Blackwell with a hate crime applauded the decision. “We will not stand for violence against our community and are pleased to see that the District Attorney is willing to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law,” said Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “The Latino community, along with other minority groups, are increasingly under attack all across the country.”
It’s a fact that this mainstreaming of hate is being aided by the president of the United States, who has hurled the same rhetoric Blackwell used dozens of times in front of his frenzied followers during political rallies. "I know that unfortunately so many people in my life have heard the phrase 'Go back to your country,'" said state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa. "I’m here to tell you, this is our country. This is our state. This is our city. Milwaukee will not stand for this."