Acid attacker who told Peruvian victim to 'go back' is back on the streets after filing $20K bond

Milwaukee’s Latino community is collectively shaking its head in disbelief this week after a judge freed on $20,000 cash bond a white man who attacked a Peruvian-born man by throwing acid at his face, severely burning him, last November.

Clinton A. Blackwell, 61, was granted release in mid-February with strict conditions, including an ankle monitor, according to a letter from a pre-trial case manager that was sent to the family of his victim in the acid attack, Mahud Villalaz. The family learned of the release March 3.

“We are outraged that he was released,” Priscilla Villalaz, Mahud Villalaz’s sister, told Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. “We’re trying to find out why he was released and why we didn’t know about it.”

Mahud Villalaz, a Peruvian-born American citizen, suffered second-degree burns to his face, cheek, and neck and injuries to his left eye in the Nov. 1 attack, which began when Blackwell confronted Villalaz outside a South Side restaurant over the fact that he had parked his pickup near a bus stop. After Villalaz moved his vehicle and returned to the restaurant, Blackwell continued haranguing him, calling him an “illegal” and telling him to “go back” to his home country.

Then Blackwell reportedly pulled out a glass bottle containing what doctors believe was battery acid and splashed it on Villalaz’s face. The victim sought and obtained immediate medical attention, and Blackwell—a war veteran with a record of pulling weapons and threatening people—was arrested at his home.

“What we are seeing is not just an attack on immigrants,” said Darryl Morin of Milwaukee advocacy group Forward Latino. “It’s an attack on all Hispanics."

After Blackwell’s release became public knowledge, outrage spread in the community. A Facebook post from Chef Paz, a Peruvian restaurant owned and operated by friends of Villalaz and his family, alerting readers that Blackwell was now back on the streets went semi-viral, attracting large numbers of outraged comments. “When there is little justice it’s a danger to be right,” the post said.

“So sad, how about the safety of other people … so now the southside community have to be scared all the time?” was a typical comment.

Villalaz’s attorney, Craig Mastantuono, confirmed that neither he nor the victim’s family had been notified of Blackwell’s release, or of a subsequent hearing in court.

from Daily Kos https://ift.tt/2IHkjz0