June 19, 2009 3:09 PM
There's something profoundly unsettling about a hate crime. The reverberations of the action—whether it be an assault, destruction of property, or a murder—impact far more people than the victim and the victim's family. A criminal perpetrating a hate crime, as Pat Young pointed out in his June 10 post, seeks to "terrorize others who are like his victims and drive them out of his community." These types of crimes, at their very core, attempt to destroy the social fabric of our towns and our cities, instilling fear in those targeted, or—worse yet—inciting additional violence.
Whether you're talking about the killing of Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue last November, or the recent murders of a Latino man and his 9-year-old daughter in their Arizona home, hate crimes have the capacity to make us feel powerless and vulnerable in our own neighborhoods. Beyond that, such acts send a message to the outside world that our community is the type of place where racist, anti-Semitic, or anti-immigrant values flourish—an image that doesn't ring true for the vast majority of Long Island residents.
That's why the Suffolk County Special Task Force on Hate Crimes, meeting for the first time on Wednesday, June 24, will be so important. The task force, whose meeting will be open to the public, was founded by and will be chaired by Legis. DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville, show on left). Gregory himself was a victim of a hate crime as a child growing up in Central Islip. "With the Marcelo Lucero killing, I thought it was an appropriate time that Suffolk County discuss hate crimes," he said. "We need to send the right message to the community—that hate crimes against anyone are not acceptable.”
By supporting anti-immigrant legislation in the past, Gregory said, local politicians like County Executive Steve Levy have sent the wrong message. "The immigrant community got the impression that they weren't welcome," Gregory said. "They got the sense or the impression that their concerns are falling on deaf ears."
With some reluctance, Gregory spoke of his own hate crime experience as a motivating factor in assembling the task force. As a 10- or 11-year-old, growing up in Central Islip, he encountered a retired man known within the neighborhood to be a racist. “I happened to be walking by his house one day on my way home, and I saw him," Gregory said. "He was on his front porch. He had a big German Shepard, and he commanded the dog to attack me. He yelled out a racial slur. He said, 'Get that n*****.'” At the time, Gregory didn't tell anyone about the encounter, not even his parents or his twin brother.
With incidents like that in mind, the committee hopes to air some suppressed memories of these crimes, and perhaps heal wounds that have festered for too long. During four meetings that will span the course of the summer, residents will have a chance to voice their own feelings and experiences regarding hate crime, something that seems absolutely necessary as we cope with not only national issues along these lines, but with our own local problems. Better policing and prevention will also be part of the dialogue. Although future meetings will allow for comments from the public, discussion at the first meeting will be limited to the 12 committee members, who will be fleshing out the more technical aspects of the sessions, like scheduling and the meeting locations.
If you have any suggestions about where the hearings should take place, post them here, or feel free to contact committee member Renee Ortiz at 631-853-6351, who will pass your ideas along. The June 24 meeting is open to the public and will be at 2pm in the William H. Rogers Legislature Building (725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Smithtown). For updates on the coming meetings, you can check back with Long Island Wins, contact Ortiz, or visit the Suffolk County Legislature's website.
As quoted, Pat Young's statement of hate crime perpetrators seek to, "...terrorize others who are like his victims and drive them out of his community" is very correct; this is most definitely still going on.
Shouts of horrible racial slurs that are conveniently guised as "...freedom of speech..."; Swastika's ‘graffitied’ onto the doors of a Synagogue; assaults and murders of people of color; that are entertained by a certain politician who refer to some celebrities as, "Low Life", yet refer to the cowardly murderers of Marcelo Lucero as, "Kids".
What is very, very sad here (almost hysterically comical) is the fact that ALL on Long Island are children of immigrants who were the receivers of hateful treatment; including that certain politician, being Congressman Peter King.
Hate, slurs, assaults, defamations, maimings, and murders will continue. They have for many, many years on Long Island, New York.
When - when - will the people of Long Island stop the savagery, and act like human beings?
By JH July 10, 2009 11:49 AM
Just another point of fact:
Never, ever have I seen a law enforcement agency, anywhere in the United States and/or any U.S. Territory, identify any arrestees' ethnicities as a, "Non-Hispanic".
I invite to view the Suffolk County Police Department "Mug Shots" page (via the N.Y. Newsday paper on line, or the Suffolk County Police Department on line).
A suspect could be Irish, Italian, Polish, German, a Native American, French, or Greek - anything - but those same suspects will be identified as "Non-Hispanic". The ONLY exceptions are suspects whom are African American. Those suspects ARE identified as, "Black" and/or "African American".
I do not exaggerate here.
There is so much fascism on Long Island, New York. So much so, that it is not even concealed any longer.
I personally very much feel for the decent members of Long Island communities, who do not speak up against the hatred. Those good people have a very real fear, of a very real retaliation from the hate mongers who lurk in many townships.
Those good people should, they must, speak-up.
Who will be the next assaulted; the next to be defamed, maimed and/or murdered?
More horribly so, who will be the next victim to have their complaints of Racial Terrorism duplicitously and licentiously ignored, or worse, threatened by Suffolk County Law Enforcements and Politicians to stay quite - or else...
This has, this is happening now.
By JH July 10, 2009 01:04 PM
The Village of Patchogue created a fake police department, corrupting many aspects of Government in order to undermine the minority population of Patchogue and drive the immigrants out. The corruption of the Village of Patchogue’s constabulary coincides with the Village of Patchogue’s redevelopment. It’s principal objective was to push minorities and lower income people out of the Village of Patchogue. The “shock and awe” fear of an unlawful illegally armed police force was particularly effective in pushing undesirables out the village’s boundaries. The threat of force coerced residents to give up their rights, which would have been protected under New York State and Suffolk County laws. Residents were faced with fines, arrests, unwarranted inspections, harassment, and threats of assault with illegal firearms.
The Facts: Suffolk County’s Failure to Protect Village of Patchgoue residents.
Suffolk County Officials Knew That The Incorporated Village of Patchogue Was Running An Unlawful Policing Department in The Form of Office of The Village Constables and Did Nothing About It.
Sargent Santa Maria of the Suffolk County Police Department was present at the 1994 enactment of Local Law #9, Chapter 7, of the Village of Patchogue Code, which falsely and deceptively passed a law that allowed the Village of Patchogue policing power. Suffolk County Police Department’s presence condones this illegal act. Furthermore, Suffolk County P.D. worked in conjunction with the Village of Patchogue Constables for years, even though they had knowledge of their illegal power and were duty-bound to shut the organization down and arrest those village employees who were impersonating officers. Suffolk County allowed the Village of Patchogue Constables to enter crime scenes and to piggy back upon their official privileged access. Furthermore, Suffolk P.D. shared information with Village of Patchogue Constables. Upon investigation, evidence may emerge, that the corruption of the Village of Patchogue departments started the corrupting of the Suffolk County P.D..
Suffolk County P.D. may have rewarded its auxiliary police force members with opportunities to participate in the illegal Village of Patchogue police force. Many of the Village’s Constables were ex Suffolk P.D. auxiliary police, which in the late 1990’s Suffolk County’s Sherriff’s office trained. This training, although illegal, further added to the illusion of the Village’s policing power was legitimate. Also there was a sharing of personnel, for example, “fake” Constable, Al Costello– between the Suffolk County D.A.’s office and the Village Constables. This professional collusion caused the Suffolk P.D to turn a blind eye, to a policing entity that Suffolk PD. knew was illegal, dangerous and discriminatory. When complaints were made to Suffolk District attorneys office about Patchogue’s illegal police force, Darryl Burger investigating for the D.A.’s office said “we can’t tell it the constables are legal” or legal ” our staff lacks the resources to make this determination.” Mr. Burger may have made this statement to conceal wrongdoing on the part of the Village of Patchogue police force. Other members of the D.A.s office then made improper determinations in order to for Suffolk County P.D. and the District Attorney’ office to avoid and obscure investigating a criminal matter that Suffolk County Police and the DA’s office were involved in.
By henry terry September 23, 2009 06:38 PM