South Boston assault probed

Boston police are investigating whether a group of white teenagers in South Boston committed a hate crime by beating and stabbing two homeless Hispanic men, and telling them, "We don't want Spanish here."

The homeless men, who told police they lived at St. Francis House day shelter, were attacked Wednesday night in the 200 block of D street near West Broadway by a group of whites who smashed bottles over their heads, stabbed them with the broken glass, and kicked and beat them, police said.

The assailants, who remained at large yesterday, are part of a group that could include as many as 15 teenagers, said Deputy Superintendent Rafael Ruiz .

"The group that did this is known to us," said Ruiz, who said the department's Community Disorders Unit and South Boston detectives are investigating. "They are known to be problem people in the area."

The attack was condemned yesterday by advocates for the homeless, a state representative, a South Boston Hispanic activist, and the Anti-Defamation League of New England.

"We condemn this hateful assault. None of us can afford to be bystanders in the face of this kind of senseless bigotry and violence," the ADL said in a statement.

State Representative Brian P. Wallace , a South Boston Democrat, and Samuel Hurtado , a Latino activist who lives in South Boston a few blocks from where the attack occurred, said that racially based violence is rare in their neighborhood.

"You can't judge the town on what one kid shouts out," said Wallace. "It's certainly not indicative of Southie at all."

He said South Boston has a substantial Latino population, with a higher concentration in the West Broadway area.

Hurtado said Latino families who moved to South Boston 20 years ago have told them of the fear they felt when they arrived. That is no longer the case, he said.

"To me, it's not a routine incident based on my experience," he said of the attack. "I think there are tensions, but it's just about daily things. I don't think there is much racial tension."

Police said the two men, one 22 and the other 32, were treated at Boston Medical Center for nonlife-threatening injuries. Ruiz said detectives conducted preliminary interviews with the two men, but want to talk with them more.

Ruiz also said police are trying to determine if the same teens are responsible for another attack on a homeless person within the past several months.

Tensions have also escalated in recent months between customers of the stores on West Broadway and homeless people who congregate along the street, according to Wallace and advocates for the homeless.

Karen LaFrazia , executive director of St. Francis House, said homeless people are increasingly victims of violent crimes.

The National Coalition for the Homeless reported in February that there were 142 violent attacks on homeless people in the past year, the most since the group started tracking such violence in 1999.

The coalition also reported that of the known attackers, 62 percent were between the ages of 13 and 19.

"They make an easy mark and are often the target of unbridled anger," said LaFrazia. "Violence against homeless folks is rising."

John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.