In recent weeks, there have been more racial crimes against Latinos. This past weekend was no exception. Why has there been so much hate against Latinos? What are Latinos doing that is causing so much anger? Speak out here!
In Patchogue, New York, on Saturday, November 8th near a train station, a group of white adolescent males stabbed and killed 37 year old Marcelo Lucero. It is believed that this incident was a hate crime. Marcelo is from Ecuador.
Immigration groups had a strong reaction to this incident. "We ask for the unity of the entire Latino community, not only to condemn this incident, and express sympathy to the Lucero family, but to prosecute these adolescents who thought that they had the right to savagely attack another human being," declared Luis Valenzuela, Executive Director of the Immigrant Alliance of Long Island.
"For some time now we have tolerated an anti-immigrant and anti-Latino feeling, as reflected in the legislature of the county that continuously introduces laws that are anti-immigrants," stated Valenzuela.
Norman Eng, spokesperson for the Coalition for Immigrants of New York, mentioned to the Associated Press that in the next couple of days several immigrants will unite Patchogue to remember Marcelo Lucero.
"We want everyone to unite and see what we can do to stop the anti-immigrant beliefs that surround this county," said Eng.
Nancy Clifford explained that the adolescents went out to "look for Mexicans" until they came across Lucero and another person who was accompanying him.
One of the members of the group, Jeffrey Convoy, 17, who is from Medford, was placed in a detention facility on Monday without bail after pleading not guilty to the hate crime.
The other six adolescents who were involved were from the Medford and Patchogue area and are being charged with gang assault.
Suffolk police stated that after receiving a 9-1-1 call on Saturday night, they found Lucero stabbed in the chest in Patchogue. The friend who was accompanying him was unharmed. Governor of New York, David Paterson declared the act of the group of white adolescents against the two Hispanic immigrants as "cowardly." In a written statement, Paterson asked New Yorkers to unite their condolences for the death of Lucero.
The state of New York stated that the governor has "zero tolerance" for these types of attacks. He asked the authorities to punish the adolescents with full force of the law.
What would be a correct punishment for these adolescents? Speak Out here!
