Racist letter tells black Lindenhurst family: ‘You don’t belong here’

[onehandle]

Source: WPIX

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LINDENHURST, Long Island (PIX11)– Suffolk County police are investigating a possible hate crime targeting an African-American family in Lindenhurst.

Ronica Copes, a resident of the suburban neighborhood, received a letter saying “YOU DON’T BELONG HERE” and other hateful words on Thursday.

Understandably so, she was disappointed at the sight of the hateful letter. “Unbelievable but then it’s not…our daily reality, I’ve just never seen it in this form,” Copes posted on Facebook.

The writer of the flyer who says “Lidenhurst is 84 percent white” urges Copes in bold capital letters to “LEAVE AS SOON SHE CAN” because “IT WILL BE BETTER FOR ALL OF US.”

Read more: http://pix11.com/2015/05/23/racist-letter-tells-black-lidenhurst-family-you-dont-belong-here

[Renew Deal]

1. I don't know why the people that write these things are never brave enough

To put their name on them.

[jwirr]

7. You answered your own question. They are not brave. That are cowards. I also suspect they do not

speak for the community. I hope they find the sender.

[shenmue]

2. Horrible

My friends lived there. Wasn't nasty back then.

[Archae]

4. Most likely still not nasty.

This looks like something a bored 12 year old spoiled brat concocted, to troll the family the letter was sent to.

[Raine1967]

8. I lived here in the 90's. It was diverse.

I read this OP and was quite WTF about it.

[babylonsister]

10. Me, too. I'm from the next town over, a long time ago. nt

[Raine1967]

14. I lived in North Babylon as well! (So wanted to live in Babylon Village)

I also had an apt in Deer park.

The entire letter is strang -- I don't think the area has changed that much -- at least not where this racist crap is acceptable.

[babylonsister]

18. We might know each other! Are you still there?

I rented in Babylon Village when 'the blizzard ' happened, late seventies. Memories!

[HockeyMom]

26. My daughter and her wife live in Lindenhurst

It is a very mixed population, as was North Babylon where they used to live.

[irisblue]

3. asses in Lindenhurst....

is there any kind of humans (besides racist brain& heart damaged) that do this?

[Archae]

5. Yes. Kids.

I've seen kids 12 and 13 screaming "n*****" at blacks, they run off at top speed if confronted.

[irisblue]

6. twits, at the least.

sorry ass fools

[Baitball Blogger]

9. My community is 90% white and they

have the exclusionary methods down pat. They wouldn't take the risk of writing it down in black and white. What they do is exclude you from meetings like you don't even exist, or withhold pertinent information to make sure you reach the conclusions that fit the hidden agenda. No problem when you move in and promptly move out because it's a win-win for the realtor market either way--which predominantly caters to white prospects.

[babylonsister]

11. That's gross, but I suspect it happens a lot. And close to illegal. nt

[Baitball Blogger]

12. It is illegal.

And they have crossed the line many times, enough to catch the attention of the Feds and State Attorney's Office, but they do nothing--and when they do nothing they legitimize the behavior by their complicity.

[babylonsister]

13. I hear you, and that

makes me sad. I grew up with the belief that we could combat illegality, and have come to find out it's not so easy, in many situations.

"...when they do nothing they legitimize the behavior by their complicity." Yea, there's too much of that and it needs to change. I wish I knew how to help that happen.

[davekriss]

22. I spent the first half of my childhood in West Babylon

At 9 I was very confused and appalled when I learned a neighbor, when selling their house, made arrangements with other neighbors to show a deposit check if a black family showed up to buy the house. This was in the sixties.

I spent the second half of my childhood in West Islip where, back then, there was essentially no one of color living there.

Long Island has more than its share of racists.

(west Islip is just east of Babylon. Amityville sits between Babylon and Lindenhurst. I know the area well.)

[Monk06]

15. Long Island goombahs. That place is like a mafia reality show/

Last edited Sat May 23, 2015, 10:54 PM - Edit history (1)

I remember an episode of Hell's Kitchen. An Italian restaurant was being run down into bankrupsy by an arrogant son who was ripping the family business off to buy dental work and gold jewelry.

There was also that incident years ago when a bunch of guys in Howard's Beach chased a black kid into traffic and killed him. Because he was walking through their precious white neighborhood

[winstars]

17. Its pretty mixed there (white boy wise) Italian racists, Irish racists, German racists, the gamut...

[Monk06]

20. And Africans came here unwillingly before any of those folks. Dutch/Germans came second

Treated like shit by the WASPS. Next the Irish, treated like shit by the WASPS. Last the Italians, treated like shit by the WASPS. And everyone hated blacks who were here before all of them.

[winstars]

25. All true, I say the exact same thing all the time. The Puerto Ricans now hate the Mexicans!!!

[freshwest]

16. Cowardly and agree with Archae. Likely a spoiled brat with nothing better to do.

In the 60s, when the scare was 'blockbusting,' IOW, 'the blacks are moving in next door, be scared, run for your lives!' media pushed nightmares.

My dad called for a local civic meeting to confront the hysteria. After listening to it for about half an hour, he'd had enough trying to reason with them.

What he said was:

'Fine, do you like your homes?'

'Yes,' they said.

'Then don't move. Nothing's going to happen to you.'

They stayed.

If a 'community' of any color or 'type,' has a concern, they meet. They don't leave anonymous notes on doors. This is stupid!

But since stupid appears to be the order of the day, the family now has valid concerns. They should present this in a meeting with the community for protection.

A neighborhood watch (not the Z-man variety) would patrol to see who is pulling this stuff and protect them from terrorists. I hope the PD was able to get prints from the note.

The family deserves peace and quiet in their own home!

[jtuck004]

19. This may have come from one of the kid's teachers. They used paragraphs and correct spelling. n/t

[romanic]

21. Probably from a redneck

or some old geezer who thinks black people will lower his property value.

[BumRushDaShow]

23. It looks like it is written by someone who

is not a native English speaker (ESL). "The "SORRY IF THIS IS RUDE" is not a native-born sociologically American term in the context of a U.S.-born racist who bothers to even write a threatening note (usually you get the "GET THE F*CK OUT OF TOWN YOU NI****RS" - not "AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY&quot . The whole thing sounds like one of those spam phising email messages from foreign hackers faking "official-looking" bank messages in broken English that are purporting to notify you that "your account has been suspended", and demanding that you click on the link to verify your account info.

[heaven05]

24. definitely a picture/letter

of racial sentiment in a HUGE section of our overall populace today in the 18th century, yes, 19th century, yes, 20th century, yes, 21st century, yes. American culture has NEVER evolved from pre slavery hate, the reason(s) for the Civil War or post civil War Jim Crow segregationist thought and in a case like this, possible action. Sure there are good, non racist people in this country, just not enough to stop the killings/ murders/executions of POC or hateful ignorance like this. This is getting sickening to the point of extreme disgust at the ignorant, usually illiterate, shallow, cretinous, unenlightened, moronic people that populate this land. Just getting downright sickening. I'll be glad when I can leave. America's racists, I'm sick of you. You're a pitiful example of your race.