Thread: Police: Slaying of NY immigrant was a hate crime

Police: Slaying of NY immigrant was a hate crime

By FRANK ELTMAN, Associated Press Writer Frank Eltman, Associated Press Writer

YAPHANK, N.Y. – Seven high school students looking "to beat up some Mexicans" attacked an immigrant from Ecuador on a Long Island street, with one of them fatally plunging a knife into the man's chest during the brawl, police said.

A prosecutor compared Marcello Lucero's death over the weekend to a lynching, and the attack was officially labeled a hate crime by Suffolk County authorities. Some outraged supporters of Hispanic immigrants suggested that recent crackdowns on illegal immigration fomented an atmosphere of intolerance that contributed to the attack.

"Today, some of the highest leaders of our community also have blood on their hands," said the Rev. Alan Ramirez, a longtime advocate for Hispanic day laborers and Latino immigrants. "I have said for a long time that it would only take time for something like this to happen."

The teenagers — one junior and six seniors at Patchogue-Medford High School — were arraigned Monday on gang assault charges and entered not guilty pleas. The teen believed to have wielded the knife, 17-year-old Jeffrey Conroy, was also charged with manslaughter as a hate crime. His attorney did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Lucero, 37, worked at a dry-cleaning shop in Riverhead. A friend of the victim said Lucero moved to the United States 16 years ago.

Police and prosecutors say the teens — six of them white and one Hispanic — were hanging out in a park on Saturday night around midnight when someone suggested they go "beat up some Mexicans." The group spotted Lucero and another man near the Patchogue train station and "like a lynch mob, (Conroy) and his friends got out of their car and surrounded Mr. Lucero and his friend," prosecutor Nancy Clifford said at Conroy's arraignment.

Lucero was punched in the face, and attempted to swing his belt while his companion escaped. At some point during the confrontation, Lucero was fatally stabbed in the chest and the teenagers fled. Patrol officers who had reported seeing the teens walking around Patchogue quickly arrested the group nearby.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said detectives have some evidence the group may have been involved in earlier attacks and urged any victims to come forward. He noted that the immigration status of victims would not be an issue in any investigation.

Additionally, the U.S. attorney's office said it is monitoring the case.

At least one of the teens has a record. Christopher Overton, 16, pleaded guilty to burglary in another fatal attack in 2007 in which a 38-year-old East Patchogue man was shot during a home robbery. His attorney denied his client was guilty of the current charge and said Overton cooperated with prosecutors on the previous case and is awaiting sentencing.

Tensions over illegal immigration have been acute in Suffolk County, where tens of thousands of immigrants have moved in recent years and worked in jobs like construction, landscaping and restaurants. The hamlet of Farmingville, about 10 miles from where the attack occurred, has become a flashpoint in the national immigration debate after a series of violent attacks on Hispanics.

In 2000, two Mexican men were beaten by two locals in Farmingville who promised them work. On July 4, 2003, a Mexican family barely escaped with their lives after teens set their Farmingville house ablaze by shooting fireworks through a window.

Two years later, two Mexican immigrants fishing off a Long Island jetty were set upon by four white youths who beat them and stole their money while using racial and ethnic slurs.

Ramirez and Luis Valenzuela, executive director of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, suggested that various efforts by local government aimed at illegal immigration, as well as comments by elected officials, may have contributed to an atmosphere of intolerance. The county has enacted a local law requiring companies with government contracts to verify their employees are in the U.S. legally.

"For too long, anti-immigrant and anti-Latino sentiment has been tolerated in Suffolk County, as reflected in the introduction of anti-immigrant bill after anti-immigrant bill in the county legislature," Valenzuela said.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, a co-founder of a national group called Mayors and Executives for Immigration Reform, rejected suggestions that the killing was related in any way to the immigration debate.

"The beating, stabbing and killing of Marcello Lucero wasn't a question of any county policy or legislation; it was a question of bad people doing horrific things," said Levy.

Gov. David Paterson said in a statement that Lucero's death "is a jarring reminder that we must remain vigilant and continue our fight to eradicate prejudice in our words and in our actions."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081111/ap_ ... bing_death

Was the victim here illegally?

I'm not sure. While this was a cowardly act that should be condemned by all decent law abiding citizens, it also makes me very angry because idiots such as these kids, always ruin the good work being done by peaceful LI activists who have been fighting the illegal immigration problem here for years.

Once again, we will see the local LI station and Newsday flooding our news with this story for weeks, the open border groups will come out and paint those who want our laws enforced as racists and set us back even further.

Originally Posted by chloe24

I'm not sure. While this was a cowardly act that should be condemned by all decent law abiding citizens, it also makes me very angry because idiots such as these kids, always ruin the good work being done by peaceful LI activists who have been fighting the illegal immigration problem here for years.

Once again, we will see the local LI station and Newsday flooding our news with this story for weeks, the open border groups will come out and paint those who want our laws enforced as racists and set us back even further.

This was my thought too. I hope the judge throws the book at them.
On the other hand, there ten fold as many storys about IA's killing Americans too.

Seven high school students looking "to beat up some Mexicans" attacked an immigrant from Ecuador on a Long Island street, with one of them fatally plunging a knife into the man's chest during the brawl, police said.

It sounds like it was a hateful act of crime to me. But why must there be a difference between a "crime" and a "hate crime"? Murder is murder, manslaughter is manslaughter, theft is theft, rape is rape, etc... I could never understand why crimes against anyone other than your own "kind" was considered a "hate crime".

I read this story earlier at some other site. One of the attackers was hispanic. His name is Jose Pacheco. I dont think this was a racially motivated crime. There is more to this story. Jose Pacheco is a hispanic name. I will try to find the article that gives the actual names of the attackers. Now...Jose may very well be white. There are some hispanics with a lot of spanish blood that are very light skinned. But he is definitley hispanic.

Originally Posted by SicNTiredInSoCal

Originally Posted by chloe24

I'm not sure. While this was a cowardly act that should be condemned by all decent law abiding citizens, it also makes me very angry because idiots such as these kids, always ruin the good work being done by peaceful LI activists who have been fighting the illegal immigration problem here for years.

Once again, we will see the local LI station and Newsday flooding our news with this story for weeks, the open border groups will come out and paint those who want our laws enforced as racists and set us back even further.

This was my thought too. I hope the judge throws the book at them.
On the other hand, there ten fold as many storys about IA's killing Americans too.

I know. That's why I HATE Newsday. They put crimes against illegals (even though it rarely happens here) front and center and cover it for weeks. Meanwhile, crimes against citizens by illegals barely gets mentioned, or it's a tiny article buried somewhere in the middle of the paper.

The propaganda is already starting. News12 which is a local LI news station and I believe is affiliated with Newsday, had on a special commentary last night, where they are suggesting that activist groups even discussing the problem of illegal immigration is causing a rise in hate crimes! I'm sure we'll be hearing from Rev. Ramos (the Al Sharpton for Hispanic illegals) to make matters even worse.

"Today, some of the highest leaders of our community also have blood on their hands,"

Yes they certainly do - the Balogna family, Jamiel Shaw, Carly Snyder, and tens of thousands more.

"I have said for a long time that it would only take time for something like this to happen."

It's been happening to AMERICANS at the bloody hands of illegal aliens for YEARS!!!!


I would bet that there is more to this story, much like the one in Shenandoah.