Milwaukee Hate Crime—Mass Murderer Found Unfit for Trial

From Milwaukee County, with hate

Life is cheap in Milwaukee if you are an ethnic minority.

That's the message Milwaukee County Circuit Judge J.D. Watts delivered to Milwaukee County.

Watts ruled Dan J. Popp is unfit to stand trial after murdering a Puerto Rican man and Hmong couple on March 6, 2016, and attempting to kill all members of two minority families who had the temerity to breathe and live in their homes, (Sameer Rao, Colorlines), (Mal Contends), and (Luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

From ColorLines:

As we reported last month, Popp faces three counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. According to a criminal complaint and witness testimony, Popp allegedy went to Jesus Manso-Perez and his teenage son's apartment and asked where they were from.

When he learned they were from Puerto Rico, Popp reportedly said, 'Oh, that's why you don't speak English, before shooting at them and killing the elder Manso-Perez. The complaint said that Popp then went to the nearby apartment of Hmong couple Phia Vue and Mai K. Vue, where he fatally shot them in front of their children.

Some of the victims' family members joined with a coalition of 22 community advocacy groups that cuts across many of Milwaukee's racial and ethnic communities to demand additional hate crime charges. 'Lives were taken because of Dan J. Popp's hatred for those who are different from him,' Tou Xiong, Mai K. Vue's brother, told reporters.

"From the beginning of this case people were rushing to say, 'Oh this was a mental illness issue,'" Darryl Morin of the League of United Latin American Citizens said while speaking on behalf of the Manso-Perez family yesterday. "Every expert we've spoken to on the issue of hate crimes has said there's always been some degree of mental illness involved."

It's open season on minorities in America, and racism remains as American as Mom and Applepie.