On Long Island, discussion continues on hate crime
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- September
- 9
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s report on anti-Latino hate crimes on Long Island — and its assertion that local politicians had fanned the flames — prompted one politician’s son to speak out.
Elie Mystal, the son of a former county legislator of the same name, has an interesting post on Long Island Wins regarding his father’s 2007 comment on day laborers: “If I’m living in a neighborhood and people are gathering like that, I would load my gun and start shooting, period. Nobody will say it, but I’m going to say it.”
The younger Mystal reiterates his father’s claim that he was joking, but also describes local pols as being in a predicament when it comes to calling out racists. He acknowledges that they play on people’s fears.
Why? Well, have you ever tried to say, “You have an unenlightened and borderline racist distrust of Latinos, but I appreciate your check….The middle class suburban voters (of all races) have a point here as well. When you look at these well manicured suburban communities … you can understand how groups of grown men walking up and down the road would freak some people out. You’d like those lucky enough to own homes to offer them a glass of lemonade. But this is America and it’s not entirely surprising when they call the cops.
Meanwhile the hate-crime stories continue on Long Island, where Newsday has a web page on the topic. There was a twist in an incident that happened to coincide with the SPLC’s report, when hate-filled notes were left in a Latino church. The suspect, who is Latino, is charged with a hate crime targeting religious practice, according to police.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 2:26 pm by Leah Rae.
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