Our friends at the Long Island Immigrant Alliance are asking that you sign a petition calling for meaningful reforms to address Suffolk County’s poor record on hate crimes. As I reported last week, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy has repeatedly tried to derail the efforts of the Suffolk County Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate the roots of bigotry in the county and recommend ways to address them.

The Task Force was established in the immediate aftermath of the killing of Ecuadoran immigrant Marcelo Lucero by a mob in Patchogue. This petition will be sent to the members of the Task Force asking them to adopt the recommendations developed by the immigrant community for change.