NEW YORK—Diego Sucuzhanay and his mother traveled from Ecuador to witness the sentencing of the man who killed Diego’s brother Jose in Staten Island in April. Jose was among a group of Hispanics who were assaulted.
“We have an emptiness that can never be filled,” said Diego at a City Hall press conference on Thursday.
Diego expressed his regret and concern for the vulnerability of new immigrants coming to the United States.
“But the worst thing is that, there are many families that are suffering the same after our brother got attacked. There were several families that were attacked,” said Diego.
When asked about what they expected to achieve from hosting this press conference, Diego said, “We demand the maximum sentence not because we lost our brother, but because we need justice and respect for our community. With that kind of sentence, we will be sending them a clear message about intolerance and a demand of respect for our community.”
The press conference was held to raise awareness about the anti-immigrant hate crimes on Staten Island. Speakers spoke of a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, alluding to the Arizona law that cracks down on illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the state.
At the press conference, Councilwoman Diana Reyna denounced the hate crimes.
“Our labor is not finished,” said Reyna, “We are here today to act collectively, to engage each other by making certain the hate and intolerance that has happened and is happening across our boroughs, like the biased attacks in Staten Island, never, ever happen again.”
“We have an emptiness that can never be filled,” said Diego at a City Hall press conference on Thursday.
Diego expressed his regret and concern for the vulnerability of new immigrants coming to the United States.
“But the worst thing is that, there are many families that are suffering the same after our brother got attacked. There were several families that were attacked,” said Diego.
When asked about what they expected to achieve from hosting this press conference, Diego said, “We demand the maximum sentence not because we lost our brother, but because we need justice and respect for our community. With that kind of sentence, we will be sending them a clear message about intolerance and a demand of respect for our community.”
The press conference was held to raise awareness about the anti-immigrant hate crimes on Staten Island. Speakers spoke of a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, alluding to the Arizona law that cracks down on illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the state.
At the press conference, Councilwoman Diana Reyna denounced the hate crimes.
“Our labor is not finished,” said Reyna, “We are here today to act collectively, to engage each other by making certain the hate and intolerance that has happened and is happening across our boroughs, like the biased attacks in Staten Island, never, ever happen again.”
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