NCLR SUPPORTS LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY’S VIGIL AGAINST HATE
Published November 14, 2008 @ 07:39AM PT
Washington, DC—“On the heels of a historic election that symbolizes America’s ideals as a diverse nation, we have been brutally reminded about the consequences of leaving hate unchecked,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. “We stand in solidarity with the Long Island community, which is coming together in a vigil this Friday in Patchogue to condemn the murder of one of their members—an immigrant stabbed to death for being Hispanic.”
“The wave of hate that is seeping through our communities threatens the fabric of our nation and is costing lives. Americans will not be cowed by those trying to advance intolerance—we must stand up to the presence of hate groups and extremists in our communities and speak with one voice to say we will not be dehumanized,” Murguía added.
Just yesterday, Media Matters for America released a report, Radioactive Smears: Local conservative radio contributes to the echo chamber of conservative talking points and falsehoods,which exposes attacks and generalizations made by some radio shock-jocks. The distortions made by some about immigrants and the Latino community have led to a growing climate of hate. FBI hate crime statistics show that attacks against Latinos have been on the rise over the past four years.
“Unfortunately, the climate that led to the tragic death of Marcello Lucero in Long Island is not new or anecdotal. Latinos have personally felt the impact of the wave of hate cloaked under the immigration debate,” said Murguía. “What began as threats have now led to violence, and until we make our voices heard more lives will be affected.”
The candlelight vigil will take place on Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Railroad Avenue and Sephton Street, Patchogue, New York.
To learn more about the code words of hate and what your community can do to combat hate speech, visit www.WeCanStopTheHate.org.
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