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Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, resident Jaelynn Mackalonis wants people to know that her town is not racist.





SHENANDOAH, Pennsylvania (CNN)  -- Jaelynn Mackalonis was angry.





The upcoming trial in the killing of Luis Ramirez had rocked the town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, and Mackalonis urgently wanted to speak out.





She hung out on the street, overhearing CNN's interview of her neighbor Lou Ann Pleva. As Pleva recounted the various opinions around town about the street fight that killed Ramirez, Mackalonis' blood began to boil. She whistled and waved her arms to get our attention. Finally, she exploded.





"We just want to let you know, the neighbors around here, it's not fair that one person is going to speak for us," Mackalonis insisted. "This wasn't a racial crime."





Pleva stood up and tried to defuse the situation.





"I'm sorry; do I know you?" Pleva asked.





"I don't care if you know me or not," Mackalonis answered. "Do not say this town is racist."





"I didn't say that," Pleva said.





"Don't speak for anyone else," demanded Mackalonis.





"I promise you, I don't," Pleva said.





The exchange went on for minutes. It was highly unusual to have a formal interview interrupted in that way. But, the emotion of that moment typified the anxiety that gripped Shenandoah, a down-and-out former coal town in central Pennsylvania.  Mackalonis interrupts CNN interview »





On July 12, 2008, a group of white high school students, out on the prowl after a night of drinking, encountered one of their female classmates in the company of Luis Ramirez, a 25-year-old migrant worker from Mexico.





Racial insults were exchanged, and, in no time, a fight ensued. Police reports claim that at least one kick was delivered to Ramirez's head while he was unconscious on the ground. He died two days later.





One of the boys was charged as a juvenile. Another teen pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations in a plea deal. The other two teens were charged with ethnic intimidation but were ultimately acquitted of those charges.





The crime cast an unwelcome spotlight on Shenandoah, according to Mackalonis.





"It's putting Shenandoah on the map for being a rotten town. It's not a rotten town," Mackalonis said. "I talk to people, and it's, 'Oh, yeah, you're from Shenandoah, where that illegal immigrant got beat.' "





Shenandoah has a rich cultural history. In its heyday, during the productive coal mining years of the 1920s, the town boasted nearly 30,000 residents. St. George's Roman Catholic Church became the nation's first Lithuanian parish. St. Michael's became the first Greek Catholic church in the country. There were so many diverse immigrant groups that the town was dubbed "Little New York."





When the coal mines dried up in the 1950s, Shenandoah began its economic slide. Today, the town's population is just over 5,000.





But immigrants still come to Shenandoah. The latest influx has been Latinos, who account for less than 10 percent of the town's population. It's inexpensive to rent or buy a house here, and most immigrants are able to send money home.





Although some in town accept the new residents, many of them from Mexico, others feel threatened by those who are here illegally. One person said that when he hears Spanish spoken, he "feels out of place. Like you're not in America no more."





Luis Ramirez was one of those illegal immigrants from Mexico. His death divided the town. One group wanted a long prison term for the boys. Another side called it "a street fight gone bad"
What city was once called "Little New York" ? Beating death of who , rocked town in 2008?
Shenandoah Luis Ramirez
question: What city was once called "Little New York" ?, answer: Shenandoah | question: Beating death of who , rocked town in 2008?, answer: Luis Ramirez