CHARLOTTE — There’s a troubling trend in Charlotte as police say Hispanic families are being targeted in break-ins and armed robberies across the area.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers have investigated at least 11 of these cases over the last week, including four just Monday. One victim told Channel 9′s Dan Matics that the robbers stole her entire life savings.
As Charlotte’s Hispanic community continues to grow, community leaders are pleading for people to protect themselves.
“I thought this place was safe,” one victim said. “But it’s not, there is no safety.”
CMPD officers said the victim was robbed when at least one suspect forced their way into her home Monday morning. She said the suspects threatened to cut off her fingers, and they stole an entire safe containing her life savings.
“I’m still living with the trauma that I went through,” said the victim, who asked to not be publicly identified. “I couldn’t sleep last night because I have that image in my head of what I went through.”
Matics went through CMPD’s records and found four reports with Hispanic households that were targeted by robbers on Monday. Over the weekend, there were at least 10 others. This isn’t a new trend either, as CMPD warned in February that people in Hispanic communities are being targeted.
“I think as our community is growing, it’s getting worse,” said Jose Hernandez Paris, who heads up Charlotte’s Latin American Coalition.
He says Hispanics are often robbed because of an assumption that they carry large amounts of cash.
“I think because a lot of people in our community work with cash, they get paid with cash,” Hernandez Paris said.
He added that there are ways to protect your valuables, including something that some people might take for granted: bank accounts. Paris Hernandez pointed out that people who are undocumented can still get a bank account, even without a Social Security number. You just have to have a tax ID number.
Hernandez Paris says having that ID number can also help when it comes to becoming a full U.S. citizen.
“If I could give advice, it would be make sure you have an account and don’t leave cash at homes because it makes you a target,” he said.
CMPD refused to speak about the issue on camera, but the department confirmed at least 11 of these incidents since April 1.
(WATCH: Hispanic Federation gives Latino voters in Charlotte free rides to polls)
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