BiasHELP, Inc. Brings People Together Over Food and Dance

Townspeople and civic groups of Patchogue gathered at Saxton Middle School Friday night to change perceptions of and celebrate the village's cultural diversity.

The November 2008 murder of Marcelo Lucero at the Patchogue train station has weighed heavily upon the hearts of those in the community.   Anthony Hartford, the last of seven teens charged with a related crime, pleaded guilty to gang assault and other charges on Wednesday. 

BiasHELP, Inc. coordinated Friday's festivities, entitled "Patchogue-Medford Rocks! Community Event," in an effort to introduce the different cultures within the community.  Suffolk County Department of Health Services, YMCA Patchogue Family Center, and Patchogue-Medford Youth and Community Services, were among a host of other local civic groups in attendance.  Under its Against Violence & Oppression in Communities Everywhere (A.V.O.I.C.E.) program, BiasHELP, Inc. obtained donated food and drinks from eateries, restaurants and distributors throughout the area.  Brentwood-based El Teatro Rodante Hispanico also danced for free as the night's main entertainment.

"I truly don't believe [the Lucero case] was a hate crime," said Alberto Ross, of Medford, who brought his family to yesterday's festivities.  "I believe it was a bunch of kids doing stupid things.  That stupid situation escalated and someone lost a life.  For the Lucero family, I feel extremely sad.  I've been in this community for many years.  This is the first time that I've seen something like that escalate to that point where the media took it out of focus.

"From what I've seen today, it's been very uplifting to see the community come together," said Ross of the event.  "With the diversity of people that came, opened up a new chapter in our society where all people can come and gather." 

Sonya Gomez, mother of Reynaldo who was one of the dancers, echoed Ross' sentiments.  "A lot of the times we only hear the negativity," Gomez said generally of national and local media coverage.  "The positive aspects are very important to hear about.  The parents are coming out of the houses.  They're not worried what it's going to cost them to go to the corner.  There's nothing to be scared about because we all have to be unified."

Loida Santos, Program Director of BiasHELP and the master of ceremonies, said, "We really want to educate the community about cultural sensitivity.  I'm against violence and oppression in communities everywhere.  It's not a specific group that's the so-called 'perpetrator.'  Individuals take it upon themselves to be violent."

Dr. Gail Barouh, CEO and founder of BiasHELP, said, "We feel that because of what's happened in the past, these communities [within the Patchogue-Medford area] need to come together.  If you bring people together in an environment that they can know each other as people that will break down the barriers that have been built.

"I think that the culture of bullying in every different ethnic group and within every aspect of our society comes from people trying to fit in," said Barouh.  "When people have to fit in, sometimes they have to put someone [down].  I believe what's changed in the last 20 years is what people thought was a rite of passage—kids get bullied in school and that's just the way it is.  What kids hear at home or what they hear in school, sometimes they'll join in and do that.  That's what will have to change."

Mayor Paul Pontieri painted a bleaker picture.  "We have set the tone as kids, said Pontieri.  "When you say 'illegal,' the other thing that they've heard called 'illegal' was drugs.  We constantly put the rant up that we need to put fences up.  To six- and seven-year-olds, the only reason dad ever put a fence up in the backyard was to keep the neighbor's dog out.  So, if the dog is bad and I need to stay safe on this side of the fence, it becomes an unfair juxtaposition."

For more information about the events coordinated and sponsored by BiasHELP, Inc. call (631) 479-6015 or toll free at 1-800-363-2427.