THERE ARE JUST NO WORDS
By Andrew Malekoff©
Almost a year ago, Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorean immigrant, was murdered allegedly by a group of high school boys on a hate-crime spree. Shortly after the murder I was invited to participate as one of six panelists in an online forum sponsored by Newsday.
The panel addressed a number of themes - exposure to prejudice, bigotry and discrimination, the role of the schools and bridging communication gaps. The final theme of the forum was “confronting authority.” This was presented by the editors as follows: “…there are growing suspicions that government institutions have played a major role in perpetuating racial tensions. New allegations that have surfaced since Lucero's death suggest that inadequate attention has been given to patterns of hate-driven violence. Add to that the intensifying trend in law enforcement toward criminalizing and cracking down on illegal immigration. How do community members deal with racism and hate crime when law enforcement and other authorities are seen as complicit in the oppression and violence?”
As I considered this, no prescriptive response came to mind. Instead, a troubling image was jarred loose within me. The image is of a black-and-white photograph that appears on the jacket of a book I read entitled Sons of Mississippi, by Paul Hendrickson. The book is based on that single photograph. It depicts a close-knit gathering of seven Mississippi sheriffs at the University of Mississippi prior to the admission of its first black student James Meredith in 1962. One of the sheriffs is brandishing an axe handle, to the obvious delight of the others. They are anticipating and evidently preparing to participate in the upheaval to come as James Meredith prepares to integrate the University of Mississippi.
Hendrickson’s narrative is culled from interviews, research of documents and literature about the era. Most compelling are his interviews with the sheriffs’ sons and grandsons and with Meredith's son, Joe, regarding their experiences with racism.
Thinking about that photograph makes me wonder about how, 40 years from now, the children of the Long Island law enforcement and other government officials that have, in some cases, turned a blind eye to hate-driven violence or even encouraged it, will look back at the November 9, 2008 murder of Marcelo Lucero. Also how will children and grandchildren of Lucero’s contemporaries view it.
Near the end of the book Hendrickson offers readers one final perspective on the chilling photo of the sheriffs. He quotes the poet and art critic Mark Strand, who reflects on the paintings of Edward Hopper. Strand says, "The shadow of dark hangs over them, making whatever narratives we construct around them seem sentimental and beside the point." This describes precisely how I feel about the murder of Marcelo Lucero as I visualize a photograph taken almost one year ago of seven teen-aged boys from Patchogue, New York in white jumpsuits and handcuffs.
Sometimes there are just no words.
First published in the Anton Newspaper chain on Long Island, New York on September 23, 2009.
2 comments:
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 its redevelopment. 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.
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.
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.
http://www.patchgouesredevelopment.wordpress.com
Great post. I somehow missed the link as I tallied the blogs during the campaign. I'll try to highlight it this week.
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