Time transcripts of NIOT_LITD_27min_PBSmezz30 [00:00:02.32] [ delicate piano music ] [00:00:11.74] narrator: A hate crime is reported nearly every hour [00:00:14.42] in this country. [00:00:16.24] These attacks not only harm the victim [00:00:18.54] but create a climate of fear [00:00:20.25] in the group that's been targeted, [00:00:22.25] causing damage that reverberates [00:00:24.12] across entire communities. [00:00:27.01] One of these communities is Patchogue, New York, [00:00:31.59] an hour and a half from Manhattan [00:00:33.48] on the south shore of Long Island. [00:00:36.31] [ train bell ringing ] [00:00:39.63] There had been signs of trouble [00:00:40.95] here in Suffolk County for years. [00:00:43.18] But it was only after Marcelo Lucero's death [00:00:46.16] that many people in this town [00:00:47.15] began to look at the warning signs [00:00:49.28] they had missed. [00:00:50.44] [ train horn blasts ] [00:00:55.05] [00:00:56.51] - It was a Saturday night. [00:00:58.82] My understanding was, [00:00:59.78] about ten to 12:00, five to 12:00, [00:01:01.71] when the call came in to the ambulance company, [00:01:04.44] that there was a man in the street [00:01:07.25] that had been stabbed and was bleeding, [00:01:09.52] bleeding to death. [00:01:10.77] - Police discovered 37-year-old Marcelo Lucero [00:01:13.51] who was stabbed around midnight. [00:01:17.36] [ crowd murmuring ] [00:01:20.60] - The defendants, each and every one of them, [00:01:23.93] readily agreed [00:01:25.54] to go looking for Mexicans to beat up. [00:01:30.36] - The detective come over to my house [00:01:32.16] and told me, "Listen, I'm sorry to tell you this, [00:01:34.96] but your brother got killed last night." [00:01:37.84] And the first thing, [00:01:39.76] I take my cell phone, and I call him. [00:01:43.08] [ cell phone ringing ] [00:01:45.68] And there was ringing. [00:01:46.92] The phone ring, but there were no answer. [00:01:48.81] So I try him again. [00:01:49.96] I would say, "No, you're wrong. [00:01:52.60] That's not that's you're wrong." [00:01:54.84] So I call him a second time, [00:01:57.26] and he told me, [00:01:58.69] "He's not gonna answer your phone [00:02:00.19] "because we have his phone. [00:02:03.48] He's dead." [00:02:08.81] [00:02:12.19] - [ speaking Spanish ] [00:02:35.15] [00:02:38.35] narrator: 37-year-old Marcelo Lucero [00:02:40.67] arrived in the U.S. in 1992. [00:02:43.60] He settled in Patchogue [00:02:44.85] where he worked at a local dry cleaner. [00:02:48.19] Marcelo sent most of his earnings home to Ecuador, [00:02:51.60] to his mother and sister, [00:02:53.06] who hadn't seen him in 16 years. [00:02:57.07] narrator: It was a time of shock and mourning, [00:02:59.34] and people in the community wanted to take action. [00:03:02.38] [ man speaking Spanish ] [00:03:03.81] A group of Ecuadorians [00:03:04.74] formed the Lucero America Foundation [00:03:07.14] to bring the immigrant community together [00:03:09.29] and defend their human rights. [00:03:12.01] Faith leaders mobilized their congregations. [00:03:14.59] - It's important just to call upon your flock [00:03:17.22] to actually, physically [00:03:18.92] be with the people who are being terrorized, [00:03:21.68] however that's to happen, [00:03:22.76] whether it's to go visit their worship services [00:03:24.97] or invite them into your synagogue. [00:03:26.62] [00:03:32.26] narrator: A week after his death, [00:03:33.67] over 500 people gathered behind the train station [00:03:37.24] where Marcelo Lucero was killed. [00:03:43.42] - I was feel so shy [00:03:45.24] to speak even in the microphones [00:03:48.62] to my own people [00:03:50.43] and also talk in English, [00:03:52.40] and that was really hard for me. [00:03:54.12] But in some way, [00:03:55.51] my brother gave me the strength to talk. [00:03:59.84] I'm not going to stay in the shadows anymore. [00:04:03.35] And I want justice for my brother. [00:04:07.14] [ cheers and applause ] [00:04:11.37] all: No more hate! [00:04:13.48] No more hate! [00:04:15.11] No more hate! [00:04:16.30] - My friend had called me and said, [00:04:18.07] "You need to turn on the news. [00:04:20.03] Our friends have been in a tragedy." [00:04:23.18] I couldn't believe that any of that would happen, [00:04:25.26] especially in our area, [00:04:26.83] that anybody in my grade or anybody that I knew [00:04:29.58] would possibly do that. [00:04:32.87] It was as if somebody [00:04:34.90] had struck me square between the eyes [00:04:37.47] with a 2x4, [00:04:39.51] because where the incident took place [00:04:41.70] is a block and a half from Village Hall, [00:04:43.62] and it's two blocks from where I grew up, [00:04:45.13] and it's two blocks [00:04:46.05] from where my dad had a store. [00:04:48.06] I'm there all the time. [00:04:50.07] You don't expect to find out [00:04:53.31] that the community you love, [00:04:55.28] that something like this could happen. [00:04:56.64] [00:04:59.00] narrator: Seven teenagers from neighboring communities [00:05:02.36] were arrested for the attack [00:05:03.80] on Marcelo Lucero and his friend Angel Loja. [00:05:08.10] One of the youths, Jeffrey Conroy, [00:05:10.32] confessed to stabbing Marcelo, [00:05:12.54] who was left bleeding on the ground. [00:05:15.46] Angel escaped and ran for help. [00:05:18.16] The police arrested the young men a few blocks away [00:05:20.94] within ten minutes of the attack. [00:05:22.88] [ cameras clicking ] [00:05:29.59] - We have a group of seven young men, [00:05:34.27] teenagers. [00:05:35.44] When you look at them in court, they're boys, [00:05:38.02] boys wearing their Sunday suits, [00:05:40.16] who have been charged with a variety of crimes, [00:05:42.18] including second-degree murder. [00:05:45.11] They look like the kids on the lacrosse team [00:05:47.95] and the kids on the softball team. [00:05:49.78] They could be any kid. [00:05:50.83] They could be my kid's best friend. [00:05:52.48] [00:05:57.93] - One of the things right after the murder [00:05:59.63] that I needed to do [00:06:00.76] was to go back to the site [00:06:02.68] where Marcelo was murdered. [00:06:05.13] And when I got there, [00:06:05.76] there was a group of people standing there, [00:06:07.59] and we talked. [00:06:09.06] And one of the gentlemen I spoke to, [00:06:11.10] I asked, you know, where he lived and about him. [00:06:14.52] And he said that he lived on Cedar Avenue. [00:06:17.19] This is only four or five houses down [00:06:18.74] on the other side of the block [00:06:20.21] from where I grew up [00:06:21.61] and where my mother still lives. [00:06:23.79] And I didn't know who he was. [00:06:27.49] A neighbor of mine and my family for 25 years, [00:06:32.16] and I never saw him. [00:06:35.00] Do they make themselves invisible, [00:06:36.67] or do we make them invisible by not seeing them? [00:06:42.39] [ train horn blaring ] [00:06:47.17] [00:06:49.94] - As the days went along [00:06:51.94] and the breadth and the gravity of the situation [00:06:55.11] became greater, [00:06:57.02] I began to speak to more people. [00:07:00.02] I went to a couple restaurants in town [00:07:02.50] and spoke to some of the workers [00:07:03.84] in those restaurants. [00:07:05.44] And you began to hear the stories [00:07:07.42] of them being afraid to walk home at night. [00:07:09.80] Is what happened that night [00:07:13.20] what happens on a regular basis? [00:07:15.20] - [ speaking Spanish ] [00:07:18.54] - They talked about how dangerous it was at night [00:07:22.01] to walk some of the streets of this community, [00:07:24.84] It just struck me that the community [00:07:27.55] that I considered safe wasn't safe. [00:07:30.93] [00:07:38.50] - We had students [00:07:39.74] in our Conversational English classes [00:07:41.54] that meet at night [00:07:42.73] telling us they were not gonna [00:07:44.65] be able to come anymore [00:07:45.65] because they were actually afraid [00:07:47.15] to walk two blocks to the library. [00:07:49.13] [00:07:51.28] - They said, "Oh, well, [00:07:52.24] "there's a group of kids in bikes, [00:07:54.29] "and they attack you, and they rob you, [00:07:56.53] and this has been happening." [00:07:58.12] So I'm like, "When did this happen?" [00:08:01.09] "It happens all the time." [00:08:02.25] [00:08:07.69] - It was not unusual for these young people [00:08:10.71] to go out and look for Latinos to beat up. [00:08:17.33] They had a term for it, [00:08:18.68] a sport that they had, [00:08:20.14] they called it "beaner hopping." [00:08:23.20] And one individual, in fact, [00:08:26.66] indicated to the police that they don't do it often. [00:08:30.88] They only do it about once a week. [00:08:32.40] [00:08:35.24] narrator: Within weeks of the murder, [00:08:36.74] Suffolk County police assigned [00:08:38.05] two Spanish-speaking officers to Patchogue. [00:08:41.17] - I understand. Yo entiendo. [00:08:43.46] Now, the whole idea that [00:08:45.35] you had these people, marauders, [00:08:47.92] running around doing this for however many months [00:08:50.71] before it came to light, [00:08:52.72] you know, part of that was, [00:08:55.21] you know, the victims being reluctant [00:08:57.03] to reach out to us. [00:08:58.69] - The people here felt that they couldn't call 911. [00:09:03.03] And I was concerned about that, [00:09:05.27] not only as a Hispanic [00:09:06.94] but also as, you know, a citizen of this country [00:09:10.13] and also as a patrol officer. [00:09:12.11] - [ speaking Spanish ] [00:09:13.16] narrator: A local Spanish language radio station [00:09:15.24] became a focus and a voice [00:09:17.05] for the Latino community. [00:09:18.96] - I received a lot of calls from Patchogue, [00:09:21.45] from other incidents that were never reported. [00:09:24.51] They were like, "Please don't say my name on the air, [00:09:26.39] "but my brother, or my mom, [00:09:28.86] coming out of the factory, she got harassed." [00:09:31.68] [ speaking Spanish ] [00:09:44.79] [00:09:55.07] We need to express that to people, [00:09:57.82] you know, as the police department, you know? [00:10:00.28] The more information they have, [00:10:01.83] it actually works for our advantage, [00:10:04.05] because if we don't know [00:10:05.12] what's happening out there, [00:10:05.97] we can't help. [00:10:07.40] [00:10:10.71] - It became very clear [00:10:11.78] that there was indeed a pattern here. [00:10:14.67] It was disturbing [00:10:15.52] that the police department missed it. [00:10:18.44] It was disturbing that it was occurring. [00:10:21.22] - This was an open secret. [00:10:23.12] This is an open secret. [00:10:24.70] There are people who graduated from Patchogue [00:10:27.23] in that class, who participated [00:10:29.18] in some of these beatings, you know, [00:10:31.28] who we'll never we'll never know who they are. [00:10:34.98] - The silence that the young people [00:10:37.57] or the teenagers have against the adult world. [00:10:40.75] This is something that they talked about [00:10:42.24] and boasted about with each other. [00:10:44.71] But then they would go home [00:10:46.20] and live normal lives with their parents. [00:10:48.86] - So you have this whole different universe going on, [00:10:52.17] and nobody taking a look at this [00:10:54.29] and nobody knowing this. [00:10:58.05] - Some were like, "He should have died. [00:11:01.19] He got what he deserved." [00:11:02.59] I just I was shocked to hear that. [00:11:05.29] I was just like, "So you're saying, [00:11:06.97] "if I walk out on the street [00:11:08.28] "and people are hunting African-Americans, [00:11:09.41] I'd get what I deserve?" [00:11:10.99] They was like, "No, you're an exception." [00:11:13.24] I'm like, "I'm an exception?" [00:11:14.90] [ cheers and applause ] [00:11:19.33] - Some kids in the school, like those seven kids, [00:11:20.86] they had, like, a different perspective on Hispanics. [00:11:24.78] Like, there was the good Hispanics, [00:11:27.34] and there was the illegal immigrants. [00:11:29.08] - Come on! Let's go! [00:11:31.55] - I had two really good friends [00:11:32.68] that were involved with it: [00:11:34.05] Jose and Jeff. [00:11:35.11] Jeff, he used to stay at my house. [00:11:36.76] He was on my football team, you know. [00:11:38.43] He was a cocaptain of mine. [00:11:40.20] And it just really hit me right to heart, [00:11:41.74] 'cause, I mean, my whole... I'm 100% Mexican. [00:11:44.26] You know, I have Spanish music going, [00:11:46.33] and he never said anything to me [00:11:47.99] about hating or disliking Mexicans [00:11:51.32] or any kind of Hispanics. [00:11:53.16] I used to tell him, [00:11:54.02] "Listen, if you're gonna go hop a beaner, [00:11:55.69] "you know, I'm a beaner. [00:11:56.82] Come hop me." [00:11:58.03] [00:12:01.17] - I don't think it's right and fair [00:12:03.42] to just say everything is associated with our school. [00:12:06.75] It is also our community as well. [00:12:08.41] So how do we rise above [00:12:09.93] and change those types of things? [00:12:12.42] What do we do as individuals, [00:12:14.01] as a group, as a community? [00:12:15.65] - In our school, we have a problem [00:12:17.30] where everybody just follows one another. [00:12:18.39] Like, one person will say something, [00:12:19.84] and they'll just join in and not care what it is. [00:12:23.01] They just go with it. [00:12:25.22] - It's hard to speak up. [00:12:26.09] Like, if someone makes a slur, [00:12:27.49] it's like I don't know. [00:12:28.43] Like, I guess they think they sound cool. [00:12:31.60] But it's kind of, like I don't know. [00:12:33.52] Like, you don't want to really speak up to them [00:12:34.98] and say, "Hey, like, what are you doing? [00:12:36.61] Why are you saying that stuff?" You know? [00:12:37.58] [00:12:41.90] [ weights clanking ] [00:12:51.39] [00:12:52.16] - You don't want people saying you're a rat, [00:12:53.92] or you don't want people thinking different of you. [00:12:57.10] I kind of knew what was going on. [00:12:58.68] Like, they would go hop. [00:12:59.78] But I'm kind of respected in school, [00:13:02.92] and if I'm saying [00:13:04.70] if I'm going behind their back and telling, [00:13:06.74] people are gonna think I'm a rat. [00:13:08.27] And I kind of regret it now, because I wish [00:13:10.43] if I would have said something, [00:13:11.28] maybe someone didn't have to lose their life that night. [00:13:13.54] [00:13:23.22] - The first night after the vigil [00:13:25.01] that everybody really was mourning over his death, [00:13:28.66] a few friends and I went down [00:13:30.16] to the memorial site that they had. [00:13:35.08] And I said to my mom, [00:13:36.46] "I was almost scared to go down there." [00:13:38.27] And she said, "Why are you scared?" [00:13:39.68] I said to her, I said, [00:13:40.82] "What if they think that everybody in our community [00:13:43.26] "is that negative and really like that [00:13:45.19] "and everybody really is out to hurt a Hispanic person [00:13:48.35] just because of their nationality and their race?" [00:13:50.94] [00:13:55.69] So we went down. [00:13:56.50] We brought flowers, [00:13:57.61] and there was two Hispanic men standing there. [00:14:00.09] And they, I couldn't really speak to them. [00:14:03.94] I just said hello. [00:14:05.28] And I said all I said was, "I'm sorry," [00:14:08.03] and they just looked at us and nodded their heads. [00:14:11.66] [00:14:14.46] The person inside of me just said, [00:14:16.19] "I don't want them to think [00:14:17.26] that everyone in this community is like that." [00:14:19.06] [00:14:20.76] - You know, I've heard people [00:14:22.72] talk about the kids that committed this crime, [00:14:24.88] and I've heard them talk about them as skinheads. [00:14:27.95] I've heard them talk about them [00:14:29.43] as these horrible, terrible people. [00:14:32.85] Well, apples don't fall from peach trees. [00:14:37.32] The sense of how they learned [00:14:40.02] or why they devalued this gentleman [00:14:43.44] in this population they devalued [00:14:45.69] had to come from some place. [00:14:47.50] - Thank you for watching. [00:14:48.57] Tonight, a big victory [00:14:49.40] in the war over illegal alien chaos. [00:14:52.00] That is the subject for this evening. [00:14:52.97] - If you watch newscasts [00:14:54.62] that talk about the immigration issue, [00:14:57.25] they talk about it in terms of these illegal aliens [00:15:00.08] that keep coming into our country. [00:15:01.35] [00:15:03.84] Every time we call them illegal, [00:15:06.48] every time we call them an alien, [00:15:08.47] we frame them in a negative way [00:15:10.18] that creates a value of them as a human being [00:15:12.27] less than what we are. [00:15:14.20] - I am slowly, personally, [00:15:15.64] being inched out of my house. [00:15:18.03] I'm here tonight [00:15:18.89] to stand up for the American citizen. [00:15:20.62] [ cheers and applause ] [00:15:22.36] - Kids listen to what we say and how we say it. [00:15:26.19] And we may not always be saying it [00:15:27.75] in a manner that we believe is discriminatory, [00:15:31.06] but it's understood that way. [00:15:33.66] all: I pledge allegiance to the flag, [00:15:35.84] of the United States of America... [00:15:38.00] narrator: Patchogue's mayor and the village trustees [00:15:40.54] were concerned about the influence [00:15:42.43] of anti-immigrant rhetoric. [00:15:44.17] [00:15:46.86] They couldn't control the larger debate [00:15:48.56] in Suffolk County or the nation, [00:15:50.84] but they could speak to their own village. [00:15:53.81] In March 2009, [00:15:55.68] the trustees voted on a resolution [00:15:57.43] about the use of language [00:15:58.82] in public discussions about immigrants. [00:16:01.41] - Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. [00:16:03.02] The passage of this resolution [00:16:04.45] is about setting a legislative example. [00:16:07.23] - This community has gone through a very trying time [00:16:12.29] over the last four months, to say the least. [00:16:14.59] And in Marcelo's name, [00:16:16.54] I think it'll make us a stronger community. [00:16:19.34] I hope it is an invitation to the Latino community [00:16:22.81] to become more involved in our local government. [00:16:27.55] - Whereas we, Patchogue village officials, [00:16:29.98] we understand the danger [00:16:31.62] that some may either intentionally or unintentionally [00:16:34.94] dehumanize, marginalize, or stigmatize [00:16:38.59] groups of people, [00:16:40.29] and we are aware of the harm this causes [00:16:42.59] not only to the targeted groups [00:16:45.25] but to our entire social fabric. [00:16:48.03] We commit to working together [00:16:49.75] so that we can create a positive climate for future. [00:16:53.12] Trustee Dean? [00:16:54.12] - Thank you, Mr. Mayor. [00:16:56.62] When I first had an opportunity [00:16:58.31] to read this resolution, [00:16:59.58] I admit to being a little miffed by it. [00:17:03.70] I was wondering if someone was suggesting [00:17:05.17] that we had ever acted contrary to this. [00:17:09.02] And adopting this resolution [00:17:11.35] takes a position of leadership. [00:17:13.30] This is a small step that we can take [00:17:15.59] to helping this community heal [00:17:18.01] and if, in some small way, the nation. [00:17:21.06] So it would be my pleasure [00:17:23.25] to vote for this, Mr. Mayor. [00:17:25.49] - Thank you very much. [00:17:26.46] [00:17:28.11] - This happened under my watch. [00:17:30.04] And I have to be the one for this community [00:17:32.12] that must show the leadership [00:17:33.41] to how we're going to change [00:17:34.95] and make this a safe place for people to be. [00:17:38.10] I just hope that this incident doesn't mark us [00:17:40.84] as a community. [00:17:42.67] And my sense is right now [00:17:44.84] we are marked as a community. [00:17:47.04] And it distresses me and bothers me tremendously. [00:17:52.68] [00:18:03.64] narrator: Over the next year, [00:18:04.94] Suffolk County prosecutors [00:18:06.36] built their cases against the seven assailants. [00:18:09.33] One of my jobs was to figure out what had happened [00:18:12.52] what actually had happened that night. [00:18:14.74] What each of the defendants did, [00:18:16.70] what motivated each one of them. [00:18:18.72] [00:18:20.11] narrrator: All were charged with hate crime assault and conspiracy. [00:18:23.16] One was charged with murder. [00:18:24.75] [00:18:34.89] Everyone has their own idea or notion [00:18:36.69] about what hate means, [00:18:38.51] but in the statutes, [00:18:40.09] hate crime has its own legal definition. [00:18:44.37] I wanted the jury to understand that, [00:18:46.10] legally, a hate crime is targeting your victim [00:18:49.58] because of some outward appearance, [00:18:52.32] whether it be how they look [00:18:53.91] or their gender or race or religion, et cetera. [00:18:57.22] [00:19:02.62] narrator: Six of the assailants pleaded guilty [00:19:04.39] to hate crime assault and conspiracy [00:19:07.01] and were given prison sentences [00:19:08.58] from five to eight years. [00:19:12.96] [ cameras clicking ] [00:19:15.14] - You guys have anything to say in Jose's defense? [00:19:16.86] - Anything to say? [00:19:19.88] narrator: Jeffrey Conroy was found guilty [00:19:21.68] of manslaughter as a hate crime [00:19:23.35] and guilty of the attacks on Hector Sierra [00:19:25.64] and two others. [00:19:27.76] He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. [00:19:30.52] [00:19:33.02] - What really struck me here [00:19:35.32] was the sheer tragedy of this. [00:19:38.34] You know, Shakespeare couldn't have written this. [00:19:41.26] We heard letters that spoke a lot [00:19:43.66] about the Conroy family [00:19:45.25] and the contributions that they made to their community. [00:19:48.30] You've got families totally destroyed. [00:19:52.50] You had everything from [00:19:54.14] heart-wrenching statements from Marcelo Lucero's brother, [00:19:57.88] statements from his sister. [00:19:59.18] His sister said at one point, [00:20:00.81] "I can't forgive him." [00:20:02.26] - [ speaking Spanish ] [00:20:05.97] - Nobody won here. [00:20:07.12] Nobody could win here. [00:20:08.31] [00:20:10.79] - My reaction about the sentence is really sad sometimes. [00:20:14.48] And I just want to extend my condolence [00:20:16.52] for the Conroy family. [00:20:18.86] I really feel sorry for them [00:20:20.42] because I know this is a lot of pain for them. [00:20:23.61] This is something... [00:20:25.24] We lived with that 18 months ago already. [00:20:28.89] [00:20:30.13] My brother is dead, [00:20:31.84] and I don't want no more hate, [00:20:33.71] at least in this town. [00:20:35.31] I don't want no more hate, [00:20:36.57] no more violence for nobody else. [00:20:39.30] [00:21:09.83] - Jeffrey Conroy, 19 years of age, [00:21:12.29] was sentenced today to 25 years in prison [00:21:16.08] for the killing of Marcelo Lucero. [00:21:19.43] - [ speaking Spanish ] [00:21:25.74] [00:21:32.64] - So you think it was a good sentence, [00:21:33.91] but racism is never gonna stop? [00:21:35.77] - Yes. [00:21:36.50] - Okay. Muchas gracias, corazon. [00:21:37.81] [ man speaking Spanish ] [00:21:39.41] - You're happy with the sentence that was given to him? [00:21:40.90] - Yeah, I'm very happy. [00:21:42.45] - [ speaking Spanish ] [00:21:45.25] Do you think things are gonna change in Long Island now? [00:21:47.70] - Yeah, it's gonna change a lot. [00:21:49.07] - Okay. [ speaking Spanish ] [00:21:52.50] [00:21:55.52] narrator: Mayor Pontieri, a former assistant principal, [00:21:58.63] approached Patchogue's middle school [00:22:00.34] about hosting a public art exhibit. [00:22:04.98] It was called "Embracing Our Differences." [00:22:08.35] - And I think it says it right here: [00:22:09.14] "We are all different in our own special ways." [00:22:11.23] We are all Spanish, black, Puerto Rican, white. [00:22:15.95] - And all the hands are different colors. [00:22:18.63] - It shows that everybody is welcome to the Earth, [00:22:20.78] and immigrants are a big thing, [00:22:24.09] and I like this poster. [00:22:26.62] It's a good poster. [00:22:28.74] - Those banners tell you a story. [00:22:30.83] It's the story of what we need to be [00:22:33.04] as a community of Patchogue. [00:22:34.96] [00:22:36.10] narrator: On the anniversary of his brother's death, [00:22:38.33] Joselo visited South Ocean Middle School. [00:22:41.80] - And I stand up, and I say, [00:22:45.49] "Kids, you see this banner with so many hearts. [00:22:49.49] "That's what you are. [00:22:52.39] - When he spoke, I felt sad [00:22:53.81] because he said that his heart was still moving, [00:22:59.07] and it didn't break when his brother died. [00:23:02.37] - He took the tragic incident that happened to him [00:23:05.11] and has made it into a life lesson for all of us, [00:23:09.49] a lesson that we can't teach in the classroom. [00:23:11.80] [00:23:14.79] - My quote says, "We're meant to stand together." [00:23:16.83] - Yeah. [00:23:18.71] - Change comes in little pieces. [00:23:21.31] This little thing that we did, [00:23:23.13] I think, will strike these kids, [00:23:24.43] because we will do it again, [00:23:25.46] and we'll do it again as the years go forward. [00:23:27.80] [00:23:32.10] narrator: A group of quilters began a project [00:23:33.97] they hoped would help Patchogue heal [00:23:36.47] from the tragedy that had touched just about [00:23:39.00] everyone in the village. [00:23:40.19] - I hope that people [00:23:41.32] are really gonna look at this quilt, [00:23:42.70] think about what went into it and what their hopes are. [00:23:46.28] - This is an aged hand that is working [00:23:49.15] to mend the heart that's been broken, [00:23:55.00] and we can all do that: [00:23:58.19] mend each other's hearts. [00:23:59.52] [00:24:03.11] - Not everybody is in a position. [00:24:05.35] You know, they're not an elected official. [00:24:07.48] They're not a legislator. [00:24:08.81] They're not a teacher. [00:24:10.52] But I think that this was a way [00:24:11.97] that people could say, "This is how I feel. [00:24:15.01] This is what I believe." [00:24:16.28] And we just cannot be accepting [00:24:18.64] of this type of intolerance in our community. [00:24:21.04] [00:24:31.07] - I feel much better like this, you know? [00:24:32.82] [ applause ] [00:24:36.38] I just want to say thank you, first of all, [00:24:38.21] to everyone, to create this quilt. [00:24:42.05] I really appreciate it. [00:24:44.12] But the point is, [00:24:46.98] somebody had to get killed [00:24:49.63] to get to know everyone here. [00:24:52.80] Somebody had to die. [00:24:54.35] Somebody had to go to jail. [00:24:56.73] So many families, [00:24:57.83] they had to suffer because of this, [00:25:00.65] and now we have to come together. [00:25:03.69] I don't know if it was worth it or not. [00:25:06.95] It could been prevent. [00:25:09.55] But now we know we have a welcome town, [00:25:13.42] a welcome community here. [00:25:16.18] And we want to send this message with this quilt, [00:25:19.99] how we act, how we walk in the street, [00:25:24.10] how we talk to the neighbors, [00:25:25.96] a message not only for this town, [00:25:28.82] for USA, everyone. [00:25:31.68] And that's why I want to stay here in Patchogue, [00:25:34.82] because I, in some way, I grow up in this town. [00:25:38.58] [00:26:00.92] [ upbeat acoustic music ] [00:26:05.92] narrator: Mayor Pontieri still tends to village needs, [00:26:09.00] large and small. [00:26:11.65] The school district has appointed [00:26:13.01] a new superintendent. [00:26:14.55] - I knew Marcelo Lucero. [00:26:17.01] narrator: The Lucero America Foundation [00:26:18.72] continues to advocate for Ecuadorian immigrants [00:26:21.74] and is active in village life. [00:26:23.60] [00:26:25.29] narrator: Officer Lola Quesada [00:26:26.44] is teaching essential Spanish to police cadets. [00:26:29.77] - Sometimes just a few words [00:26:32.94] can really calm somebody's fear. [00:26:37.05] - If there was anything [00:26:38.00] that I could tell the law enforcement community [00:26:41.25] throughout the United States, [00:26:42.63] it's to become ever more vigilant. [00:26:45.33] Monitor these incidents [00:26:47.10] and see if there is a pattern. [00:26:49.51] all: One nation, under God... [00:26:51.96] - We don't hear this kind of speech [00:26:55.05] in our public places anymore. [00:26:56.68] [ record scratches ] [00:26:58.88] - Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. [00:27:00.98] narrator: In 2010, the community gathered again [00:27:04.26] to mark the second anniversary [00:27:05.87] of Marcelo Lucero's death. [00:27:07.81] - This area, by village board resolution, [00:27:09.78] will forever be called Unity Place. [00:27:11.79] [ translator speaking Spanish ] [00:27:14.36] [ applause ] [00:27:17.04] [00:27:19.51] - We can make the change. [00:27:20.80] We can make it work. [00:27:22.34] It's only your choice. [00:27:24.16] You choose what you want to be in the future. [00:27:26.64] Five years from now, two years from now, [00:27:29.56] you got to be somebody. [00:27:31.43] Peace for everybody. [00:27:33.10] [00:27:34.13] [ cheers and applause ] [00:27:36.13] [00:27:50.22] [ acoustic guitar music ] [00:27:59.70]