Patchogue Village also a Victim of November Hate Crime
The Media has wrongly, chosen to publish geographic associations, that best suit their articles. Patchogue Village, East Patchogue, and the town of Medford, were grouped together, as if they were one municipality. Patchogue Village is a separate incorporated Village that has absolutely no connection with East Patchogue, and the town of Medford, NY, except for their common school affiliation. The criminals that committed the hideous hate crime last November, were not residents of Patchogue Village.
The Media just couldn't resist playing the “Racial Tensions” Card! This term definitely has a negative connotation, when used and linked to a municipality.
Do we have racial Tensions in Patchogue Village?
If we do, the members of this Neighborhood Watch group were not aware of them. It is sad and unfortunate that the Hispanic community did not report incidents of violence, for fear of deportation. If this Neighborhood Watch group had any suspicion that people were being attacked, something would have been done about it! A suggestion to solve the communications problems will be discussed in another section of this article.
Does Patchogue Village really deserve to be labeled as racist?
No! We the residents of Patchogue Village are not the type of people that would attack anyone! On the contrary, we hire many from the Hispanic community to work in our village. Patchogue Village has not only been violated by these criminals, and also by the Media. Bad publicity due to Media articles that were composed in haste, could ultimately result in the loss of some jobs, due to a flawed perception of Patchogue Village.
I suspect that the media will choose to challenge my premise! I would like to extend an invitation to the Media, to meet with a panel of Neighborhood Watch Members, to discuss the Alleged Racial Tensions, that they flaunt! Crime by non residents has always been a problem in Patchogue Village, simply because we are a metropolis.
Is Patchogue Village a crime ridden area?
It was a crime ridden area fifteen years ago. Our crime problem which is now ancient history has since be taken care of, by the many concerned groups in our area. When I say crime in Patchogue Village is “Ancient History,” I refer to criminals actually living in Patchogue Village. Fifteen years ago, the criminals were our neighbors! Thanks to the Police Department, The Auxiliary Police, the Patchogue Public Safety, and the Neighborhood Watch, the criminal element has chosen to live somewhere else.
A few months ago I invited a representative from The Suffolk County Police Department, as well as the Mayor, and Deputy Mayor of Patchogue Village, to attend our Neighborhood Watch Meeting to discuss neighborhood problems. To my embarrassment, there were no problems to report. This scenario is the norm, rather than the exception!
Everything I say about the low crime rate in Patchogue Village, is verifiable by our Neighborhood Watch Members. I did not make up this statistic, I just reported it!
Has Patchogue Village done enough to create a safe environment for its residents?
The Village of Patchogue should be considered as a model for all other communities to follow!
Our village has an area of about two point two square miles, with a population of about, ten thousand residents. At the height of our crime problems fifteen years ago, our Village supported thirty two Constable/ Public Safety Officers. Was there any legal mandate that required our village to support security/ code personnel? No, but these personnel were being voluntarily supported, with our tax money.
In addition, Patchogue Village also sponsored in part, four Auxiliary Police Officers that worked under the direct control of the Suffolk County Police Department. The Patchogue Village Auxiliary Police Unit, acted as the “Eyes and Ears of the police Department.
In addition to the above, my Auxiliary Police unit of ten Officers, supported by Suffolk County, also patrolled Patchogue Village, and its surrounding area.
In addition to all of the above, the Suffolk County Police were behind every Rock, and around every corner!
We had as many as Sixty Six Police and support personnel patrolling our village 24/7; I did not even include the Three Hundred and Fifty Neighborhood Watch people that were also in tune to Neighborhood Problems. Our Village has become a family through “Trial by Fire!”
The huge Armada of personnel that was used to quench Crime in Patchogue Village, was virtually unheard of since world War Two. The battle was vicious, and we won the war!
Peace has prevailed for the past twelve years, and as a result, our village currently supports twelve Public Safety officers; that is twelve more than the number of officers supported by many of our neighboring communities! The Suffolk County Fifth Precinct currently manages an auxiliary Police unit of about nine officers.
In recent years, serious crime has declined in our village, and as a result, an Armada of Police Agencies was no longer needed; resources were moved to the High Crime Areas where they were needed. Our Neighborhood Watch Group has also helped to keep Peace in our area by keeping track of neighborhood problems. The criminals simply didn’t have a chance!
I cannot think of any municipality that has done so much to protect it's residents.
Patchogue Village has, for over a decade, been a wonderful and safe place to live! “This was no accident!”
One street in our village has suffered major vandalism two years ago; and the alleged perpetrator has been identified as someone that does not live in our village. Another case of violation by an outsider!
Unfortunately Patchogue was chosen as the location to perpetrate a hate crime, because of its high Hispanic Population. I do not know what we can do to prevent that except to put up Iron Gates! Hopefully Steve Levy could give the status of Constable to our Public Safety Officers; this could be a deterrent to future transient crime!
How Can the Guardian Angels help our community?
The appearance of the Guardian Angels in the streets of Patchogue had the appearance of being politically motivated, because the patrols took place in the wrong location, and at the wrong time. There simply were no Hispanics in the streets, at the time of their patrols. Curtis sliwa and his Spanish speaking guardian Angels, could indeed perform an invaluable service to Patchogue Village by again returning to Patchogue, to disseminate emergency contact information to the Spanish speaking residents of West Patchogue. They must be made aware of the various ways to anonymously feed information to the local government, and Police Department. It has become obvious that if the Spanish speaking community knew how to anonymously feed information into the system, this hideous crime may not have happened! The problem is that it is difficult to find Spanish speaking volunteers; however, all of the Guardian Angels do speak Spanish. The Guardian Angels also have the advantage of being trusted and respected by the Spanish Community.
I have heard talk about someone forming a Neighborhood Watch group in West Patchogue, but until that actually happens, the neighborhood leaders are welcome to maintain connectivity with our neighborhood Watch Group, which does not normally service West Patchogue. All that is needed is their name and Email addresses. We already have one temporary associate member from West Patchogue!
Send your name and Email address to:
davispark2000-manw@yahoo.com
On Race and Creed Issues
This Neighborhood Watch group, as well as the Patchogue Village Government, has on many occasions acted on behalf of the Hispanic Community; many of which are members of our group. We also have a wonderful relationship with the International Community. Our group works in concert with people from many ethnic groups, who directly provides invaluable services to us, that we cannot afford to pay for ourselves. We are proud and grateful to receive the support from the International Community, and they are eager to help us
Our Neighborhood Watch Group has had positive experiences with regard to multicultural interactions; just the opposite of what the term “Racial Tensions” implies! It is truly sad to see Patchogue Village being essentially chastised by both the Media and the National Hispanic Groups, both of which have not taken the time to find out what the residents of Patchogue Village are really made of! We are not a population of people that are frothing at the mouth, just waiting for the opportunity to commit a hate crime! We are a multicultural community that works together as family. We are one of very few communities that can say that we interact as family; race or creed is not part of the equation.
The tragic beating and stabbing of Marcelo Lucero last month is incomprehensible. I still have trouble accepting the fact that a human being was killed in our village. Let the Media not forget that Patchogue Village Residents had nothing to do with perpetrating this crime; it was done by transient criminals that did not live in our village. Patchogue Village is also a victim, in spite of its proactive approach to crime prevention.
Patchogue Crime Statistics:
( See web site)
http://www.clrsearch.com/RSS/Demographics/NY/Patchogue/Crime_Statistics
The crime statistics seen on this web site do indeed agree with what we the residents of Patchogue Village have experienced
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Reference Section:
Bad decisions are often made because of distorted or missing information! I hope this research information helps!
Assortment of Related Articles
Please read this Newsday article!
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/crime/ny-liunit265979759dec28,0,3580392.story
NYTIMES.Com opinion:
I was very surprised to read this Article/opinion.
WCBSTV.Com:
http://wcbstv.com/seenon/hate.crime.patchogue.2.864594.html
Statement from church
http://latinoisland.blogspot.com/2008/12/congregational-church-of-patchogue-as.html
Comment from the editor!
The following article (two paragraphs down) appears to chastise "Patchogue Law Enforcement" for allegedly "Not filing a report."
The Village of Patchogue does not have Law Enforcement Officers;" the village does have Public Safety Officers. Patchogue Public Safety Officers, are not Peace Officers, and consequently are not empowered by the County of Suffolk, to make arrests and file reports.
This is part of the problem! I personally feel that if Public Safety would have had Peace Officer Status; they would have had the power to discourage Transient -Non Resident Criminals, from "stalking Hispanics" in the streets of Patchogue!
Unfortunately they still do not have Peace Officer Status! How many deaths does it take for Suffolk County to do what must be done?
CNN.com
Clergy Blame Steve Levy:
possibly because he has a policy to upheld the immagration laws.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/11/teens.hate.crime/
AlJazeera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bndfzCmfhAA
Latino Group may sue Parents:
Read the Newsday Article!
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-lihate1112,0,6612034.story
Seven suspects charged with a second crime the same night.
See Long Island Press articlehttp://www.longislandpress.com/articles/news/584/
Commentary From the Public
TOPIX
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/patchogue-ny/TRL727ASKHTDJTP8B#comments
Teenagers Violent "SPORT"
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/21/nyregion/21immigrant.htmcnn
CNN Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zr8DzvG2jk
Parents to be held responsible Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc4c7LesFU4&feature=related
Attacks were weekly:
http://www.raising-kane.com/2008/11/medford-patchogue-continues-to-cope.html
Seven Teens may be charged with as many as Eight more Incidents!
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/crime/ny-lipatc286014620jan28,0,4783004.story
More to come!
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