Video: Patchogue Residents Denounce Murder Of Immigrant, Protest “Anti-Latino” Bill

Community leaders and residents of Patchogue, New York gathered together this morning to speak out against the recent stabbing death of 38-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant Marcello Lucero, who came to the United States 16 years ago. [Ed. note: Query - At what point does one stop being considered an "immigrant?" When does "immigrant man Marcello Lucero" simply become "Marcello Lucero?] Some speakers at the gathering also took the opportunity to address what they perceived to be an “anti-Latino” bill:

While most of the 15 speakers asked the crowd to avoid blaming politicians, Luis Valenzuela, executive director of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, faulted Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and Legis. Jack Eddington for backing “anti-immigrant” legislation.

“We challenge the legislator from this community not to ever introduce another anti-Latino bill,” Valenzuela said, his voice rising in anger.

To which Jack Eddiongton responded by saying, “Dude. I don’t know what the fuck you talking about:”

After the rally, Eddington said that he was unfairly called anti-immigrant when he sponsored legislation to limit day laborers gathering on a street corner in Patchogue.

“That was about public safety and all of a sudden it became an anti-immigration bill,” he said.

Lucero was stabbed to death by seven Long Island teens who were evidently on the lookout for a victim who “looked Latino,” and threw out ethnic slurs before eventually leaving Lucero to die in a driveway.

Some community members in attendance at the rally today stressed the need to avoid passing out blame and to focus instead on teaching tolerance to young people. But, fuck. Come on. Like these teenagers haven’t grown up all their lives watching the same after-school specials we did? Does someone really need to come along and teach teenagers that “stabbing man to death = bad, ok?” Please. And, you know, fucking sorry, but the speech that we “take care of your children” and “cook your food” is not helping. Because we are not here to serve you.

There’s no we and no you unless we both decide that there is and we both continue to act and treat people as if there is some sort of real, tangible difference between Latinos and Everyone Else. So “we” shouldn’t have to demand anyone’s respect or continue in creating some sort of divide where poor, working class immigrant Latinos are standing to one side and wealthy, oblivious, ungrateful non-Latinos are on the other. We’re not “service people.” Some of us are, sure. But some of us also “research to find cures for various diseases.” Or “own business.” Or “blog.” To gather all Latinos together and paint us as if we’re all actors in some production of “Upstairs, Downstairs” isn’t helping anyone. That kind of rhetoric doesn’t impact any sort of change. Instead, it continues to create the idea that there is some indelible divide between people, something which cannot be changed or helped.

We’re not characters. We’re not roles. We’re not jobs. We’re not accents. We’re more than movie sidekicks or voting demographics. We’re human beings. And people need to be taught this? Really? People have to be taught that it’s wrong that this person — someone’s baby, someone’s brother, someone’s first kiss, someone’s best friend, someone’s neighbor — had to die, face to asphalt, alone, with “you’re a spic” as his departing eulogy? People have to be taught this?

Awesome job, America. Keep it up! Let’s keep patting ourselves on the back, right? Because we’ve come so fucking far.

Patchogue rally cry: Teens ‘attacked all of us’ [Newsday]
Hate and tragedy on Long Island [Newsday]