skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

No Rest for Immigrant-Rights Advocates After Sgt. Greene Verdict

play audio
Play

Monday, January 18, 2016   

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – The split verdict in the case of former Suffolk County Police Sgt. Scott Greene has local immigrant rights advocates pinning their hopes on a pending civil case and further intervention by the Department of Justice.

Greene was convicted of stealing money from two Latino motorists, but acquitted on six hate crime charges that he targeted Latinos.

Foster Maer, senior litigation counsel with LatinoJustice PRLDEF, is bringing the civil case against the county. He says it was delayed, waiting for evidence from the criminal trial.

"The key issue in our case, is did Suffolk County Police knowingly tolerate abuses by Sgt. Greene, as well as others, towards the Latino community, and fail to take appropriate action," he explains.

Maer says if LatinoJustice succeeds, the court could order reforms for the department.

The Justice Department signed a letter of agreement with the police department several years ago to resolve a pattern of civil rights violations.

Now, Maryann Sinclair Slutsky, executive director of the immigration advocacy group Long Island Wins, says the time has come for the DOJ to run the police department.

"The Department of Justice needs to take control over the Suffolk County Police Department,” she states. “They've had very recent illustrations of a broken police department with the arrest of the Suffolk County police chief, James Burke."

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota expressed disappointment last week that the criminal jury failed to find Greene guilty of the hate crimes.

Maier says the pattern of more than 20 Latino victims could not have been any clearer.

"Only Latinos, no one else but Latinos,” he stresses. “That right there tells you this is a crime based on race. Why the district attorney was unable to communicate that to the jury, I don't know, but there was obviously a failure to achieve justice here."

Local advocates are expected to have more to say about what they call a climate of distrust in the wake of the Greene verdict later this week.

Former Suffolk Police Chief Burke is scheduled to go on trial in April on charges he beat a suspect.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021