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Andrew Thomas Gallo Represents Drunk Drivers Not Immigrants
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by Tina Kells | April 10, 2009 at 05:23 pm
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Andrew Thomas Gallo killed three people in a tragic drunk driving accident while running a red light. One of his victims was an up and coming athlete, a rookie pitcher for the LA Angels who had just pitched his first game, Nick Adenhart, 22. His other victims were equally as promising; Courtney Frances Stewart, 20, a pretty blonde Cal State sophomore and Henry Nigel Pearson, 25, a Manhattan Beach law school student.
The all-American appeal of Adenhart, Stewart, and Pearson sits in stark contrast to the face of their killer, Andrew Thomas Gallo. Gallo’s surname betrays his ethnicity and his track record with the courts is wholly unsympathetic. In his mug shots Gallo looks cold and uncaring, like most arrest photo subjects do.
This was not Gallo’s first DUI charge and at the time of the Adenhart accident he was driving on a suspended license relating to a 2006 conviction. Gallo fled the scene on foot leaving Adenhart and another passenger, Jon Wilhite, critically injured, and Stewart and Pearson dead. Gallo even left a friend of his own, Raymond Alexander Rivera, 21 (who is, incidentally, NOT an immigrant), hurt in the family minivan as he ran away.
Courtney Stewart and Henry Pearson were pronounced dead at the scene. Nick Adenhart was rushed to hospital where he later died in surgery. Jon Wilhite remains in hospital in critical condition and no details have been issued to tell whether he is expected to live. Raymond Rivera was treated for minor injuries and released.
Andrew Thomas Gallo was arrested near the scene of the accident. Tests run after his arrest showed that he was very drunk, three times over the legal limit, when he struck Courtney Stewart’s silver Mitsubishi Eclipse. Gallo has now been charged with three criminal murder counts that carry a potential consecutive sentence of 55 years. He remains in jail on $100,000 bond.
Lives have been destroyed, not just the lives of the people who were injured or killed, but those of anybody who knew and loved any of the parties involved, including Andrew Thomas Gallo.
Drunk drivers kill every day. Repeat offenders are the most egregious but they are far from the only problem. Andrew Thomas Gallo was a repeat offender and that is terrible and wrong. The entire accident is a horrific tragedy.
From this tragedy, however, a second injustice has emerged. Based only on the surname of the drunk driver, Gallo, and the fact that he fled the scene, comment streams on news sites across the web have revealed a disgusting air of racism. People are assuming that Andrew Thomas Gallo was an illegal immigrant who fled the scene to avoid being caught and deported.
Is this racist assumption logical? After pouring over news stories I have been unable to find a single piece of documentation that suggests or proves Andrew Thomas Gallo was an immigrant, let alone an illegal immigrant. His mother, Gabriel Gallo, also does not appear to be an illegal immigrant. So why is his immigration status, or that of his family, an emerging theme in so many comment streams?
One word: Racism
The facts are simple:
- Gallo ran because he had a previous criminal charge and was driving on a suspended sentence, he did not want to go to jail and would have been instantly put behind bars if arrested at the scene while drunk.
- Gallo was arrested in 2006, charged and convicted; if he was an illegal immigrant surely somebody would have noticed then. It is illogical to assume that an illegal status is what made him run away.
- Regardless of his immigration status and race, Gallo was driving drunk as so many American citizens do every year, and he killed people, again, like citizens have been known to do. His nationality has no bearing what-so-ever on the crime and killings.
Assuming, that because a person has an ethnic name and a criminal record, they are an illegal immigrant is the epitome of racism. The two do not go hand in hand. You can have an ethnic name and be a natural born American. You can be a natural born citizen and have a criminal record. There is no logic to the assumptions that are being made based on a name and an act (fleeing the scene of an accident).
Andrew Thomas Gallo is a murderer. He has killed three people and his weapon of choice was a vehicle loaded with a drunk driver. He was aware of the consequences of his actions, as he made clear in previous court proceedings, and he drove without a license by choice. For all of these reasons he deserves scorn and punishment.
What is unmerited is the racism, toward immigrants, and illegal immigrants in particular, that has reared its ugly head in this case. Andrew Thomas Gallo was one man who did a horrible thing. He made a very wrong choice and others paid the price with their lives.
In this sense he is no different than all the other drunk drivers who kill every year. If there is one demographic Andrew Thomas Gallo fairly represents, it is not illegal immigrants, but chronic drunk drivers who will get behind the wheel even after the courts take their license away.
The unrepentant drunk driver who drives with a suspended license and kills is the only stereotype that Gallo truly represents and the racism that has grown in reaction to his killing three All-American kids in an accident is a second tragedy in an already heartbreaking story.
Too many innocents have already been hurt by Gallo's actions and illegal immigrants are unfair targets in this case. They don't deserve to be political collateral damage in a story that is really about the evils of driving drunk.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (96)
at 18:40 on April 10th, 2009
Come on!!! The reason why so many Americans are so quick to profile results from countless crimes committed by individuals who are ILLEGALLY living within the United States. And please don't act like both of you avoid profiling others.... everyone does it to a certain extent. Every other country in the world has laws regarding proper, documented citizenship.
I would say throw him in jail but since the U.S. government is providing free "get out of jail cards" for illegals, I say death penalty. All of these illegals who perform heinous crimes should be put to death. That would tremendously cut down our taxes and show others, considering the treacherous trek from Mexico to the U.S., if you come here ILLEGALLY and murder AMERICAN CITIZENS, there will be a punishment. You won't be able to sit in jail for 80 years and be spoon fed by hard working U.S. citizens.
Not wanting ILLEGALS here in the United States is not RACISM. Once again, being against opening our borders, and supporting deportation ideas is NOT RACISM!!!! THAT IS A LAW!!! Just a little FYI, or food for thought. A local hospital is contemplating shutting their doors for good, resulting from the countless number of illegals seeking care.... and guess who is paying for all of that.... YOU and ME, and the rest of AMERICA!!! Does this not strike some sense of realization within you??? Enough is enough!!! I, along with countless others, will continue to stand up and say GO HOME!!!..... because I want to be able to go to a local hospital and get the care I need and the care I have to pay for.
at 18:45 on April 10th, 2009
But in this case the killer is NOT an illegal immigrant so the point is moot.
It is an apple and oranges comparison that makes people who have valid points about illegal immigration get lost in a bunch of nonsense rhetoric.
at 19:04 on April 10th, 2009
I obviously know that, but if you read the article they quickly jumped to labeling everyone that spoke out against illegal immigration, or labeled this murderer as an illegal is a "racist".
And not to completely disagree with you, but I really don't view this as an apple and orange comparison. It is really pertinent to this story. Some U.S. citizens are beginning to view many hispanics or Mexicans as illegal... and they are not. This is a result of the Southern states, and now many other states in the North, being overran by illegal aliens.
I really hope people understand that I really believe we are all God's children, but there are laws that must be followed and enforced. I am not against in any manner with LEGAL IMMIGRATION, but I do not support in any way illegal immigration.
I lived in Ethiopia for a summer in 2007 and I miss those people so much. Do you know that many Ethiopians sell almost everything just to meet specific criteria, necessary medical treatments, and the ability to be placed on a lottery list? While these wonderful people wait and sacrifice everything just to have a shot in the dark to actually get a visa, the U.S. and its citizens continue to turn their head..... that is RACISM!!! Why can't we allow all of those beautiful people, in that poverty stricken country into the U.S., if we continue to allow all of these Mexicans flood our country?? It is not fair, and once again there must be laws.
at 23:47 on June 21st, 2009
It seems clear that you are bitter to a group that has done more for america than against, I find it funny how you compare the immigration of ethiopians to the immigration of those coming from the southern border of the United States. The immigrants from the Mexico border come across the border mainly to provide for their families so that they can eat and live their lives at 1/4th of the quality that you live your life here in the United States. It seems that you do not understand that many of the immigrants that come into the United States are forced to cross into the USA to seek better opportunities rather than bleed away the American way. I am a proud american and a realist, and when I hear people talk about "illegals invading our country and ruining it", and then I think about the quality of life that I live compared to the quality of life I have personally seen in nations like Mexico, Colombia, Iraq, China and several others I have traveled to, I simply laugh.
My next point is that a person who complains about groups like this "invading" and "destroying" are just plain ignorant. It has been proven in countless studies done that the overall net benefit of an illegal immigrant is much higher than the net losses obtained by the consumption of our taxes by the "illegals". Being a general contractor and knowing and working with many of these "horrible" (as you probably think of them) human beings I know that they all would much rather live peacefully in their country making the low wages they make here, but they simply cant. Which is in large part due to many social injustices created by years of American oppression of Mexico. Look into the history of the two nations and you will see that our great country has many times, in simple terms, bullied Mexico into losing opportunities for advancement. A country caught up with corruption and violence has no time to take care of their lower and middle class, which has led to to the large immigration of Mexicans into the United States because they see the opportunities and greatness of our nation.
I personally view anyone who has these views of "illegal" immigrants from Mexico as a bigot and a racist, as well as a hypocrite. It seems that you do not care about illegal immigrants coming in through our northern border of Canada that come into the USA to kill innocent americans as can be seen by the terrorists who have attempted to take the lives of innocent americans and have succeeded in numerous occasions. You seem to take this rather intelligent article and shove it back in the face of the writer by committing the "racist" action of assuming this man has anything to do with an immigrant. And then blatantly attacking illegal immigrants off some false sense of correctness you feel you contain. Illegal immigrants have nothing to do with that hospital closing down, that is thanks to those crooks in wall street who have truly jeopardized our quality of life. Please don't mask your racism and bigotry behind your religion by saying we are all god's creatures, if we were all god's creatures in your eyes then you would want everyone in the world to live the lives we live here in the USA.
The great thing about this is that we are free to state our opinion in whatever way we please to, and this is how I view your comments, educate yourself and open your mind to help yourself learn more clearly about the world we live in.
at 20:59 on April 10th, 2009
First, you need to have your facts right:
1. Per capita, US citizens lead all categories of violent crime, hands down, when compared to someone in this country illegally.
2. While tax dollars are spent on undocumented individuals, it is not a 100% deduction because they pay sales tax, FICA, medicare, payroll tax and in states that have a state tax they contribute there also.
3. And to your final point I will say this, if these people were coming from western europe there would a tenth of the racism that you see now. I ask this question...why is Cuba too bad for Cubans but good enough for Haitians.
at 05:34 on April 11th, 2009
You are a moron and don't know what you are talking about! Many of these people are paid cash off the book and pay no taxes. The ones that aren't are using someone else's SS# and screwing that up for the rightful owner. Finally, the average illegal hispanic family cost the federal/state tax payers over $26,000 per year.
at 10:12 on April 11th, 2009
Cite your sources (especially for point #1).
at 03:32 on April 12th, 2009
I always thought "illegally entering" any country was a "CRIME" or "ACT OF WAR" ....But then again, THAT'S BEFORE the GOVT. starting re-writing "OUR CONSTITUTION.".......................>>>>>>>>SEMPER FI
at 19:06 on April 10th, 2009
What was or is the legal status of his parents? The illegal immigrants who come here are looking for work and the overwhelming majority are fantastic people. Problem is there kids are left in limbo and a lot end up like Gallo; oblivous to the structure of the world.
at 20:26 on April 10th, 2009
I have been unable to find that info out yet... but either way he's not an illegal and it makes me sad that the real issue - drunk driver's who kill - is being clouded up by political posturing on illegal immigrants.
People died here in a senseless and totally avoidable way and I think drunk driving should be the focus of people's anger. You know what I mean?
The immigration debate belongs in a different arena, this one is about drinking drivers.
at 19:54 on April 10th, 2009
Yeah it's racism but its always going to be there. Racism is not dead and never will be despite what people may try to convince themselves of. Maybe this is a an unrelated incident but there is so much emotion surrounding this incident that America is looking for a way to direct their anger and the racism card is an easy out; writing this off as another man who doesn't understand the concept that heavily drinking impairs your driving is not an acceptable closure for the public.
Despite the detachment of this incident, the fact is that illegal immigrants do not belong here if they are not tax paying citizens of our country who are taking our jobs and using our services. I do not oppose racism towards these people (to an extent) because what they are doing is ILLEGAL and they need to gain citizenship before gaining my respect.
at 05:16 on June 9th, 2009
This is what happens when people get their news from Rush Limbaugh, a fat kid born into a rich family who skirted his duty to fight for his country because of a boyle on his ass! He tell's everyone it was his knee, but you can see the medical records which were leaked online after his battle with oxycontin, which like heroin, is an addictive opiate. Rush likes to hide behind the fact that "it is a legal prescription drug." Sorry Rush, but it's not legal when you buy them without a prescription, and you're no different than some person who gets hooked on heroin. The only difference is that you have the money to support your habit, whereas often they don't.
Rush is a self-important blowhard, preying on uneducated masses in middle America.Why is it that the average Rush fan does not have a college degree? Is it because less educated people are easier to manipulate?
Perhaps you should research these facts yourself. 1)Illegal immigrants have a lower unemployment rate than legal American citizens. 2)Illegal immigrants who use a fact SS# and work are actually paying into a system that they will never be able to collect from. It benefits actual citizens! 3)Illegal immigrants have been doing the labor that slaves did in the field of agriculture. They pick our fruit for very low wages, but nobody was upset about that, because no American would work for such little pay, especially since it's physically demanding work.
4)The US Army has been enlisting and recruiting illegal immigrants to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gunnery Seargent Hubert A. Lucas , a U.S Marine recruiter accused of selling and delivering counterfeit documents to illegal aliens in order for them to join the service was courtmartialed back in 2004. There are currently about 37,500 foreign nationals serving in the active duty forces and reserves for the US. Margaret Stock, an associate professor of law at the U.S. Military at West Point, says she’s periodically consulted by attorneys representing illegal service members. “I do think there are probably a significant number of people in the military who had some issue with their immigration status at some point,” she said.
5)The corporations want illegal immigrant labor because it drives costs down and profits up. With their globalization plan, boarders will disappear, and the middle class will be eliminated. You will either be one of the rich, or one of the working poor. There won't be an inbetween. Bush was president for 8 years when this boom of illegal immigration took off, yet he did nothing. Why? Because the truth is, all rich people (like Georgie Boy) benefit from illegal immigrant labor...and not just having a brown nanny!
6)Try thinking for yourself insetead of regurgitating what Rush is telling you to think! It's called manufacturing consent. Do you know how children are bombarded with ads aimed at them on TV, whether it be from a fast food restaurant, ceral commercial, or a toy? People like Rush are doing that to the uneducated masses in America. He tried convincing them that Barrack Obama was a Muslim, yet would do so directly after talking about what a racist his church leader Rev. Wright was. Rush said "This wasn't just his priest, this was his close friend and spiritual advisor who had dinner at his house!" Well which is it Rush? Is he a Muslim or a Christian? Because we all know Wright is Christian. Again...just more of Rush's double talk.
at 20:02 on April 10th, 2009
Yes, we want to know if he or his family are illegals. Why? because the American people are sick and tired of aliens coming here breaking laws, draining taxpayer funded resources, and refusing to become Americans or learn English. Just because we want foreigners to respect our laws does not make us racists. I think the assumption that someone is racist because they inquire about his immigration status indicates a certain amount of racism in and of itself.
at 20:28 on April 10th, 2009
Fair enough that people want to know that info but I question crying wolf on it before the status is a known fact.
Also, let's get real on the actual accident, illegal immigrants don't cause all the drunk driving fatalities and I am sure MADD would support that point. I think it is actually fair to say that the majority of drunk driving accidents in the US are caused by LEGAL citizens.
at 20:37 on April 12th, 2009
Tina, no one is saying that illegals cause all of the accidents. GET PAST THAT!!! What the majority of people on this blog are saying is we are tired of paying for all of these freeloaders that are NOT LEGAL U.S. CITIZENS. The majority of the illegals crossing the borders are good people, seeking an honest living to some degree, but these are the people that were the leading cause of a local hospital (in my hometown) being shut down. The hospital has no funds, resulting from the OBVIOUS fact that they use the emergency room for everything and rarely pay. Guess who does pay?? You, me, my family members, and every other LEGAL, U.S. CITIZEN. The hospital cannot stay afloat, and neither can our country.
Do you know how much money illegal immigration is costing the U.S.? Tina I hope you and every other American that wrote something on this page will watch this video..... PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY6t2ckpb5g
at 21:11 on April 13th, 2009
Hey - enough of this stuff! It's not politically correct and it's not an "easy on the ears" conversation, but it's time to get real with this problem. First many of the accidents are caused by illegals - they don't have licenses - either Mexican OR U. S. - they don't have insurance - at ALL - their cars are poorly maintained and pollute the air.
This guy, Gallo, is a despicable and insufferable character - and I don't really care whether he ever sees the light of day again - but if he isn't legal, send him to Tijuana - let them take care of him - I'm tired of supporting the illegals. If they can find the money to get over here in the first place, they can pay for their own health care, their own education, and their own CAR INSURANCE - H E L L O!
at 05:28 on June 9th, 2009
First off, I'd be far more likely to associate the name Gallo with someone being of Italian descent than Mexican descent, not that it matters. But you brought up a point earlier saying because his name was Gallo, people questioned his citizenship. I happen to agree with you that it's not an issue about citizenship, it's an issue about drinking and driving. Please read my response to our Rush Limbaugh fan as I have to run and am late for work.
at 20:12 on April 10th, 2009
Please. People who are against ILLEGAL immigration are not racists, we are against breaking the LAW. The young people this scumbag killed are dead regardless of whether he is ILLEGAL or not. The only reason it would be more infuriating if he is an ILLEGAL immigrant, is that if the LAW had been enforced, he would not have been in this country, in the state of California, at the intersection, smashing into their car.
at 20:34 on April 10th, 2009
I am not suggesting that they are... not at all. I am saying that hearing a guy's last name, identifying it as "foreign" and then supposing he ran from the scene of a fatal accident because he is an illegal alien is racist.
Having a closed borders opinion does NOT make you racist and I totally agree with that but if his name had been McDonald nobody would have been screaming about illegal immigrants in comments streams (even though a Scottish person could immigrate to the US illegally). The issue would have been drunk driving and that should still be the issue people focus on here.
Gallo was a repeat offender and a chronic drunk driver who the state had tried to stop by suspending his license, a strategy that repeatedly fails. THAT is what people should be most offended by, not the assumed immigration status of him or his family.
at 20:35 on April 10th, 2009
The first time a person gets apprehended for drunk driving and he is in the country illegally, he should be expelled. Plain and simple.
I get it that most drunk driving is done by legal residents, but any tragedy caused by an illegal who has already been arrested once and allowed to stay means that the government's lax policy is complicit in the tragedy.
That is not to be tolerated.
We accept over 2,000,000 legal immigrants a year, more than any country in the world and we have the right to set a limit and expect it to be enforced.
at 20:48 on April 10th, 2009
I would agree that immigrants who have not been sworn in as citizens should be deported for terrible crimes - it is an issue we see in Canada as well and I hate it.
That being said, once you are a legal citizen deportation should not be an option. If you are an illegal and you get caught for anything, I feel you should be deported after a fair hearing as to why you are in the country.
I don't understand US immigration very well but in Canada we do allow people who enter illegally to stay on humanitarian grounds and I fully support that. I do think that, as with all things, this is an issue that is hard to generalize about.
at 20:46 on April 10th, 2009
Lighten up on the charges of racism. Just because you think you hold the moral high ground doesn't mean you do. It is a free country and immigration, both legal and illegal, has been a hot button issue for the last few years. The reason, because it has been out of control for many years and we are rightly irritated since their overall contribution to society is probably something we can do without. Think we can't live without them? Think again, AMERICANS can and have done almost everything we have put our minds to. Our history is a testament to the will of a free people.
at 20:50 on April 10th, 2009
No moral high road at all... just asking an obvious question... why is a story that should be about drunk driving turned into an immigration issue when we don't even know that the killer was an immigrant, illegal or legal?
at 05:22 on April 11th, 2009
I believe the reason some are off-topic is that Now Public allows for anonymous and not-verified posters. I've noticed that whenever an anonymous or not-verified poster enters into conversations on any subject, many messages appear to contain racist, hateful and abusive language, attacks on others, spam and an air of other unwarrented comments.
The policy allowing anonymous / not-verified posting needs to be changed.
at 21:58 on April 10th, 2009
amen brother. this line says it all... "their overall contribution to society is probably something we can do without."
at 21:59 on April 10th, 2009
amen brother. this line says it all... "their overall contribution to society is probably something we can do without."
at 21:01 on April 10th, 2009
Tina, we are angry because this thing goes on so often and goes on because the express laws of the land as regards immigration are not enforced.
There are entire neighborhoods in the Bay Area where no one has auto insurance, and the police get in trouble for asking to see if the drivers have insurance.
Prisons in the US have something like 20 to 30% illegals. They get deported and come right back. The gangs are getting more and more violent, yet we cannot lock down our border to please Wall Street republicans and left-wing ethnocentric political groups.
Time to control the border, and, then and only then, can we begin to talk about making some of them legal.
But all people arrested for a crime of some sort who are here illegally need to be deported.
at 21:18 on April 10th, 2009
In Canada insurance is not optional, maybe something like that in the US?
I get the frustration, I guess my point is that this is the wrong news tragedy to use to start a dialogue.
I wish I understood the issue in the US better because it just isn't on the radar the same way in Canada.
at 08:30 on April 11th, 2009
I live in Southern California and have been a die-hard Angels fan since I went to my first Angels game as a kid in the eighties. Angels fans are very loyal, and the stadium has a great family atmosphere. The faces in the stadium represent the diverse demographics of Southern California, but there is an absolute commonality there; the love of Angels baseball. The fans here are still in shock over this incident, and will be through the rest of the season.
I have been completely absorbed in this story, watching the news, the outpouring of love and support for the families that have lost so much. As a fan, we lost a promising young star with the same hopes and dreams of so many youth today. A drunk driver plain and simple stole those dreams.
While stumbling through the news bits, I came across your article that is plastered with references to the racism that has shadowed this incident. I was infuriated at that implication. Your article was the first reference I heard of addressing this 'Illegal Immigration' theme.
You have tainted the real issues here while standing on the soapbox to even acknowledge the very small contingent of people that will take every opportunity to be jerks. Realizing that you're Canadian, and not living in the same circle as I am, maybe you didn't think that through before discussing the issue.
at 17:09 on April 18th, 2009
Tina, auto insurance is required in California. But like any other law, it can tend to be lax in enforcement sometimes.