‘I’m sick of it’: Armed robbers are targeting the Latino community in Durham
Violent crime is down this year in Durham, but a spike in armed robberies targeting Latino community members has angered one local elected leader.
“It is quite sickening to me that you would target hardworking folks that are often undocumented — and when you rob them of the cash that they have earned, it’s a ripple effect,” City Council member Javiera Caballero said..
“Obviously a robbery on anyone in our community is horrific,” she continued, “but the fact that you’re targeting folks that are the least of these ... these are not folks with safety nets.”
The Durham Police Department has reported several strings of robberies of Hispanic people this year, most recently seven robberies from Oct. 27 to Nov. 17.
In September, several Hispanic women were victims of armed robberies, and armed carjackings were reported in the Braggtown neighborhood and in southern Durham.
Victims have been robbed in the parking lots of Hispanic businesses and followed home from these businesses and robbed, according to police.
Three juveniles have been charged with some of the September and October crimes, a police spokesperson told The News & Observer. None of the juveniles charged so far has been Hispanic.
“I’m sick of it,” Caballero said at a Nov. 21 City Council work session after Police Chief Patrice Andrews presented Durham’s latest crime statistics.
Cabellero, the city’s only Hispanic council member, said she plans to meet with Andrews to convey her constituents’ concerns.
“The trend is that this year is worse,” Caballero said in an interview. “I think sometimes if it’s just something that happens to the Latino community, it tends to get brushed off. That’s why I got upset.”
Violent crimes have serious repercussions on residents who already struggle to access safety-net programs. Immigrants, whether U.S. citizens or not, face barriers to programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a November report by UNC and the Urban institute found.
Violent crime down, property crime up
There have been 151 reported robberies with Hispanic victims in Durham this year, and 183 such robberies all of last year — though the reports don’t indicate strings of robberies targeting Hispanic residents specifically, according to police.
Police did not disclose what percentage of this year’s robberies had Latino victims. About 16% of the city’s population is Latino, according to the Census.
The total number of reported violent crimes is down about 5% in 2023 compared to this time last year. Robberies and aggravated assaults are down, while homicides are up 9.4% and reported rapes are up 21.6% from last year.
“What the data says and what it feels like to our community, it doesn’t seem to always match up,” Andrews told the City Council.
Property crime, meanwhile, has climbed about 19% compared to this time last year, statistics show.
- Motor vehicle thefts up 156%.
- Burglaries (1,066) up 16%.
- Larcenies (5,751) up 8.1%.
Motor vehicle thefts have risen from 570 last year to nearly 1,500 this year, with many cars left unlocked and sometimes running.
Staffing remains a key challenge for police — “We’re operating at a deficit,” Andrews said — with just 414 of 535 sworn officer positions filled.
Officer Rut Avila, the department’s Hispanic community liaison, has worked with victims and has helped investigate the recent robberies, police said.
“She’s fantastic, but she’s only one officer,” said Caballero.
Heading to work one morning last week,Ivan Almonte saw his car had been broken into, the latest of the several times he’s been a robbery victim in 25 years of living in Durham.
“It infuriates me, but it scares me at the same time,” Almonte told The N&O, speaking in Spanish.
An activist who runs Durham Rapid Response, or Durham Respuesta Rapid, a grassroots Latino immigrant advocacy network, Almonte said the crimes generate “a strong trauma” among residents.
He said he could name 20 Latino residents off the top of his head who have been victims of crime.
Arrests are seldom made in property crimes, which have a clearance rate of 7.5% this year, down from 12% last year, statistics show..
“We need more police to protect us,” Almonte said. “We need more investigators who can speak Spanish.”
Durham Rapid Response has warned the public on social media about the robberies, some of which he says have been perpetrated by young Hispanic men. More officers are needed, both to help people feel safer and also to follow up with those who have been robbed, he said.
Tips on public safety
The Police Department advises:
- Have your keys ready when approaching your home or vehicle.
- Park in well-lit areas.
- If someone is following you, do not drive directly to your neighborhood. Instead, drive to a well-lit area. If you can, drive to a police substation.
- Do not walk alone in dark areas.
- Refrain from carrying large amounts of cash with you.
- If you are confronted, always cooperate with the robber. Your life is more important than material items.
- Get as much information as you can about the suspect(s) and any vehicle involved, including the plate number if at all possible.
- Call 911 as soon as possible after the robbery. Provide the dispatcher with as much information as possible.
- Do not be concerned about your immigration status if you are a foreign national when reporting a crime. Please report all suspicious activity and crime by calling 911.
Anyone with information about the above-mentioned crimes in Durham is asked to call Investigator T. Blake at 919-560-4440 ext. 29282 or Investigator S. Ellison at 919-560-4440 ext. 29550.
This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 8:01 AM.
