Yesterday people took to the streets of Hempstead, Long Island to demand justice for the 37 year old Ecuadorian who was killed last week in a vicious, racist gang assault targeting Latinos.

What Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy refuses to accept is his role in this, in how his initial reaction of Lucero’s death, diminishing it to a one day story , told a million days of truth of what the death of a Latino is worth. One fucking day. Pero the lives of the accused killers? At least a week. In the lives of others in Suffolk county? Years.

“The Caucasian Crew” spent a week before allegedly killing Marcelo Lucero, “practicing” if you will.

The Patchogue attacks included knocking one man unconscious after sucker punching him in the mouth and shooting another with a BB gun. Police believe that there are more victims as well who have not come forward out of fears for their safety.

Steve Levy’s policies, going back to 2004, have created an atmosphere ripe for the pattern and practice of attacking immigrants and Latinos verbally and physically.

Since taking office in 2004, Levy has fought for and signed legislation to bar undocumented immigrants from working for county contractors and county licensees. He also invited federal immigration officials to the county jail and has had harsh relations with Long Island immigrant activists.

If a man in a position of power makes a career out of dehumanizing immigrants who are painted as Latinos, why are people surprised to hear young people say things like: “

These guys, these Mexicans, everyone has a hatred for them. Downtown Patchogue used to be nice, and now they make it all dirtbaggish.”

This is not “wilding”, a term made popular using the image of groups of young men of color attacking white women in the classic stereotype style. This gang killing of Marcelo Lucero was born out of the rotting fruit of an old tree, as old as this United States and the blood upon which it was built. This is not a one day story, a week long story, a story building from a few years ago. This story is just another long painful, ugly chapter in the everyday history of a people.

Via / Newsday , Gothamist