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Closing Arguments Have Begun in Trial of Jeff Conroy

Posted April 12, 2010 by Patrick Young, Esq.
Categories: Hate Watch

A packed courtroom heard the beginning of closing arguments this morning in the trial of Jeffrey Conroy for the murder of Marcelo Lucero. Ted Hesson, who is at the scene, will be posting shortly with the defense argument.

Before the summations began, the Long Island Immigrant Alliance held a press conference outside the courtroom to address the issues raised by the killing. Nadia Marin of the Workplace Project told reporters that Long Island immigrants “are holding their breaths” waiting for the verdict.

UPDATE 2:20 PM:
Newsday has just posted a full article on the press conference held by the Long Island Immigrant alliance at the Riverhead courthouse. Here are extended excepts from the article:

At the Riverhead courthouse where closing arguments are being heard in the hate-murder trial of Medford teenager Jeffrey Conroy, immigrant advocacy groups said a “climate of fear” still exists for Latino immigrants in Suffolk County.

“Suffolk County, we cannot be seen as this bastion of segregation as we have for so many years,” said Andrea Callan, Suffolk chapter director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “When is it going to end in Suffolk County?”

Luis Valenzuela, executive director of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, said Suffolk should establish a permanent hate crimes commission.

“A year and a half after the death of Marcelo Lucero, Suffolk County still has done nothing to address the climate of fear that immigrants experience here in Suffolk County,” Valenzuela said.

A hate crimes task force was established by the Suffolk County Legislature last year, after Lucero’s murder. The task force is scheduled to give its report in August, after which it is set to disband.

However, Legis. DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville) said he suspects that the work of the task force will continue on in some way.

“There should be some mechanism in place, existing or created, that should continue this dialogue,” said Gregory, who heads the task force.

The county also created a hate crime victim’s advocate last year who works with the police department to act as a liaison between the police and victims of hate crimes, including anti-Hispanic crime, Gregory said.

And Suffolk police added an extra foot patrol officer in Patchogue after Lucero’s death, as well as a special assistant to the police commissioner on Hispanic affairs.

“It’s a slow and long road back into gaining the full trust of the community, but I think we certainly have shown we’re taking a step in the right direction,” Gregory said.

Tags : hate crimes, hate watch, jeffrey conroy, marcelo lucero

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