[migrawatch-public] Gangs targeting day laborers

Day Laborer Killed In Oakland Robbery; Police Fear Trend

POSTED: 2:28 pm PST February 18, 2007

OAKLAND -- A day laborer was killed Sunday morning in an
area where employers frequently pick up low-wage
immigrants eager to find temporary work.

The attack apparently began around 7:30 a.m. as a robbery,
said Oakland homicide Sgt. Dom Arotzarena. The victim, a
Latino man in his 30s, may have been targeted because day
laborers -- who get hired to move furniture, paint houses,
landscape yards and cleaning buildings -- often get paid
in cash.

The victim was attacked just outside an auto repair shop
and taken to Highland Hospital, where he died. Neither his
identity nor immigration status is known, Arotzarena said.

Earlier this week, Oakland police told City Council
members that local gang members and youths are
increasingly attacking immigrants in the Fruitvale
neighborhood in east Oakland. Illegal immigrants lack the
identification required to open a U.S. bank account, and
they frequently carry large amounts of cash.

Gilda Gonzales, who leads the Unity Council, an immigrant
advocacy organization based in the rough neighborhood,
estimates that Fruitvale has a $200 million cash economy.

Workers gathered in Fruitvale on Sunday said they were
scared for their safety.

"For me, it's tragic," Silvana Lobos, 30, said of the
murder. "People come to America to make money for their
family."
Copyright 2007 by KTVU.com. The Associated Press
contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.

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