Long Island task force looks at hate crimes
-
- June
- 19
A Suffolk County task force will get started next week on a series of meetings on hate crimes, reports Long Island Wins. The committee was prompted by the killing of Ecuadorean Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue last November.
Their work gets started as a civil rights group draws attention to the rise in hate crimes against Hispanics, coinciding with increased anti-immigrant rhetoric in the immigration debate. African-Americans remain the most frequent targets of hate crimes nationally. Attorney General Eric Holder is urging an update of hate-crimes legislation.
Prosecutors in Long Island said other Latino men had been subject to attacks and harassment. About 50 complaints of other crimes were investigated but no further arrests were made. Today, Suffolk police charged a man with assault as a hate crime against two gay men, Newsday reports. The suspect is accused of yelling anti-gay epithets and injuring the two men in Central Islip.
This entry was posted
on Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 4:57 pm by Leah Rae.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
| 
Complaint Letter on Behalf of Residents Against Unknown Suffolk County Police Officers, Sherriffs and employees of the Inc Village of Patchogue
Henry R. Terry. boathead@pipeline.com. P.O. Box 2148. Patchogue. NY. 11772. (631) 447-1884.
Special Litigation Section
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Special Litigation Section
Washington, D.C. 20530
202-514-6255 or toll-free at 877-218-5228) or fax (202-514-0212 or 202-514-6273).
January 28, 2009
Dear Special Litigation Section
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 action, or inaction, of Suffolk County and its law enforcement agencies, and the Village of Patchogue require investigation by your agency . with respect to the Village of Patchogue Personnel impersonating police officers
Legal Principles: The Duty to Protect Racial and Ethic Minorities
The behavior of the Suffolk County officials, its Police Department and the Incorporated Village of Patchogue officials and its Police Department constitutes racial and national origin discrimination in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §2000d and §809© of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968, 42 U.S.C. 3789d©(3).The Incorporated Village of Patchogue has a pattern and practice of administering justice that has the effect of discriminating against Latinos, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 14141. The Office of Civil Rights has investigated numerous local law enforcement agencies as a result of complaints of discrimination administration of justice. See, e.g., U.S. v. City of Columbus, Ohio, 99 CV 1097 (S.D. Ohio, 2000) (King Magistrate J.); U.S. v. State of New Jersey, et al., 99 CV 5970 (DNJ)(MLC).
Proof and admissions the Constables were volitale of Suffolk County law.
On June 23, 2008, Brian Egan, previous the Incorporated Village of Patchogue Special Prosecutor and now the new Incorporated Village of Patchogue Attorney, finally publicly admitted that the practice of carrying firearms was illegal. Attorney Brian Egan declared that the arming of their personnel violated not one, but three laws, and possibly violated the oaths of office of those who were involved. The admission of Mr. Egan goes to the heart of the Village of Patchogue’s ability to illegally maintain an unlawful and illegitimate policing force.
In a further admission of wrongdoing, on June 1, 2008, the Village of Patchogue ceased the practice of their Village Code Enforcement Officers from carrying firearms. I contacted and FOILed the Suffolk County Police Permits division and they refused to allow me access to the Village Contables pistol permits which would have shown the illegal use of Village Weapons.
The previous Village of Patchogue Chief Constables, Mr. Tameo and Mr. Kratch, who oversaw the Constables, have admitted in sworn statements to having participated in the this scheme to direct Village of Patchogue Constables to stop and detain Suffolk County motorists as they drove through the village. [Contrary to law, no provisions to thwart racial profiling were in existence, see below ]. Mr. Tomeo and Mr. Kratch testified that they thought their practices were sanctioned by the District Attorney’s Officer, because they prosecuted the tickets.
Mayor Pontieri conceded in a public forum in accepting the Wood v Incorporated Village of Patchogue, et al, Index No. 01-CV-0229 (the “Wood Case”), class action settlement because the actions of detaining motorists was wrong and that the village would cease the practice. In the Wood Case, the Village of Patchogue had to pay back motorists for these unlawful tickets as part of the Class Action suit settlement with Suffolk County residents. The Village of Patchogue has failed to fully live up to its settlement in the Wood Class action suit and they did not comply with making the best efforts to heal the motorist driving records. Most importantly the suit never alleged or resolved the issue of racial profiling. Moreover, it is alleged that the Village of Patchogue created its illegal policing practices in order to drive the Latino population from the Village of Patchogue, and although the Village has stopped the practice of detaining motorists, no one has had sufficient access to Village records to investigate the racial bias of the illegal police activity. I foiled the Village of Patchogue’s rules concering racial and national origin profiling instructions and they responded that the Village lacks any instructions.
Due to the recent death of Marcelo Lucero, Patchgoue’s officials attempted to distance themselves from the “Constable” scheme. I spoke at the Incorporated Village of Patchogue Board of Trustee public meeting on or about Monday the 8th of December, 2008, and when I asked whether the Village would continue to use the title of “Constable,” I was informed by Village Attorney Brian Egan, Deputy Mayor Steve McGiff, and Mayor Pontieri that during the present administration (2004 to present) the “Village never called its employees ‘Constables.’” “never used the term,” “don’t know what you are talking about.”
Furthermore, the Village of Patchogue code enforcement or public safety departments or offices are defective, because it fails the minimum standards required by the State of New York, in that there is no official reporting and therefore, no transparency. This allows the Village of Patchogue to run a fake police department with the intent to discriminate against minorities.
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.
On or about 3:30 1/14/09 in Patchogue Village Court I witnessed
a Patchogue Village employee impersonating a Constable. He had a police badge
his chest that indentified him as a Constable #415. He asked me to leave the courtroom. Which I did.
At 4:30 I went to Suffolk County’s 5th and attempted to make a report of a Village employee impersonating a Constable. I explained that the Village had renouced the use of this title. Office Dershwin # 109 at the duty desk would not take my complaint. She said the police lacked juridiction and that I should call the DA’s office. I asked them to make a report and call the DA’s office. They asked me to leave the building.
Conclusion
For the above reasons, I ask that your agency undertake an immediate investigation into these matters and take appropriate action.
Sincerely,
Henry R. Terry
16 Bransford St.
Patchogue, N.Y. 11772
boathead@pipeline.com