Alleged Hate Crime In Worcester Latest In A String Of Racist Incidents Statewide

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Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), an advocacy group based in Boston, claim the Worcester Police Department has failed to properly investigate an alleged hate crime and is calling on the city’s mayor and police chief to publicly condemn the incident.

According to a letter released by the group, Latoya Lewis, who is Black, was the victim of a verbal assault and violent altercation involving a white gas station attendant. The incident is the latest in a string of reported racist interactions across the state.

Lewis said she stopped for gas at the Sunoco station adjacent to Pat’s Service Center and Towing in Worcester, where she’s been a patron many times before. But on the evening of June 4, around 8:30 p.m., Lewis said she and her three children were subjected to racist slurs and violent behavior.