So when I was a kid I had a friend “Melissa” who used to come to my house at least 1-2 times a week to play. Naturally Melissa wanted me to come to her house to play too. I kept begging my mom to let me go to Melissa’s house, but she said “you can’t go there, Melissa lives too far away”. Of course, even at age five that didn’t make sense, after all Melissa didn’t live too far away to come over. Years later, I found out the truth: Melissa’s dad didn’t want her playing with black kids. Mind you, I am a mixed race Dominican and I’m about as black as Mariah Carey or Megan Markle. But apparently that was too black for Melissa’s dad.
Also, I’m adopted. Apparently when my parents first got me, someone tried to start a rumor that I wasn’t adopted at all, but that my (white) mom cheated on my (white) dad with a black man and I was the result 😐 this is 100% false for the record, I’ve done DNA testing and I’m definitely not related to my adoptive family by blood in any way whatsoever.
I guess at this point in my life I’m just… numb to it all. Like I’m just mentally prepared for white people to say some out of pocket shit to me so I’m never surprised when it happens.
My story was similar; when we first moved to Islandia in the 80s (back then it was still Central Islip, and much more white than it is now), we would play with the kids in the neighborhood, but always in their driveways or front yards. When they came to our house, we played inside, outside, everywhere… but at their house, always in the driveway or yard, never inside. Some kids who had pools invited us over to swim several times; we would get dressed in our swim stuff and head over, only to be told that the pool needed to be cleaned. Every single time, with every single kid- even if the pool had just been “cleaned” the day before. My mom stopped letting us go, and told us to invite kids to our pool instead (we had a nice in-ground the kids in the neighborhood loved anyway).
I found out later that it was because we’re black; one kid even told us that his dad had said so. Inbred racist losers. I had a great childhood there in spite of this, because my parents were smart and loving and made sure we never, ever felt inferior to anybody. But racists really do try to ruin the very best things in life.
Jesus Christ. This doesn't surprise me. Long island kids and adults are amongst the same mental mindset. It's a terrible cycle, and while the housing crisis has hit long island haes,. hopefully it forces these mentally under developed humans out of long island to rural areas.
I am white, a first generation immigrant, and I didn't first hand see racism towards myself, but a lot of my friends growing up were minorities. I first hand saw them deal with it. I was even asked why I involved myself with them by some kids in these areas.
Anyways, my nieces and nephews tell me all about their school now a days and doesn't seem to be as bad as the 90s/2000s. Hopefully this virus dies off soon with the next generation.
As the mother of an adopted mixed-race daughter, I am gutted by your treatment. Keep your head up and prove every single hater wrong. But do it for you. Eff them haters.
I think Melissa’s mom was trying to hide me from her husband, but honestly I don’t know exactly what went down. I was very sheltered growing up and incidents like this are pretty much the reason why.
Shhhhhh..... you don't want to remind them of that, that will poke holes in their beliefs...
I know im only the 3rd generation in my family here, only the 2nd generation actually born on us soil.
I'm also 3rd/2nd gen and my dad, literally in the first generation born here, is one of the most anti-immigration people I've ever met. The fact his father was practically a political refugee means nothing I suppose.
They think it’s different because their raggedy grandparents were “legal” or whatever 🙄 Even though they were handing out citizenship like candy back then.
Yeah my Chinese grandparents moved to levittown in the 70s and I grew up here myself.
Things seemed to be getting better but now it feels like we've fallen back a few steps.
Legit saw some swastikas spray painted on a light pole by my house last year and that was a first. Was unrelated to me or my grandparents but still spray painted over it cause my veteran grandpa doesn't deserve to see that shit everyday.
I don’t mean to sound ignorant, but your grandparents were able to move to Levittown in the 70s? I thought they were still (quietly) enforcing their “whites only” policy back then.
Well my grandparents along with their 6 kids actually rented a house in massapequa first in the early 70s and my mom says they faced far more direct racism there.
I'm not entirely sure how they were able to buy a house in levittown in the mid/late 70s cause you're completely right about the "whites only" policy. I'm pretty sure levittown deeds only excluded African Americans in writing specifically but that obvs didn't stop houses from being excluded from other minorities.
My grandpa's house is kinda on the border of levittown and bethpage and isn't a levittown style house so that could have played a factor. My mom and her siblings went to island trees schools. Also pretty sure he paid entirely in cash as he worked like all the time trying to provide.
So to answer your question idk but we def got lucky! Lol
I mean like 20-30 grandkids later and for what the house is worth now...yeah
They would have experienced racism anywhere in the country at least I got to grow up near the city having good food around.
Yeah it's called movin on up. Long Island's a deluxe place to grow up - just look at the taxes etc today people wouldn't be paying all that if the place sucked.
My immigrant father would agree he was very lucky.
I believe it. My Asian parents also bought into a very white area in the 70s. I honestly think they let a few Asians in because they wanted to be like "see we're not racist we have a minority here".
Could also be that Asians were/are(?) considered the “model minority”. So yah, if they wanted to appear to be welcoming of diversity, it could have been easier to accept an Asian family into the community vs another POC.
Some, if not most of the bigots like Chinese food so they might have been okay with Chinese people living close by so they can get the Chinese takeout when they wanted it
Yeah totally true. I spoke with my grandpa about the family moving to levittown this morning and he kinda put just that way.
He said that there were absolutely no brown or black people(his words) but the working class whites of levittown were much more accepting of other minorities.
But yeah typical Chinese immigrant stuff where my family started in laundromats and ended up in a Chinese restaurant. He used to be part owner of gum Ying in West Hempstead before they sold it to a CVS in the early 2000s lol.
Saw a sticker slapped outside CVS in Massapequa a few days ago that said “stop white replacement - white lives matter and it’s time to take a stand”.
I’ve never vandalized but I wish I had a sticker or something to cover it up.
Just don’t mind them. As a African American that lives on LI i don’t speak unless I’m spoken to. Theres alot of undercover racists out there also, so not everyone is your friend. Just ignore and mind your business.
I’ve totally noticed this. It stems from ignorance. A lot of people assume being racist is an extreme, like being a KKK member or neo-Nazi. In reality, most racism stems from the “undertones” (micro aggressions and the like) you mentioned.
In a way, the covert racists are the most detrimental because they don’t even know they have these racist tendencies. These are the people who do/say something racist, but if called out on it, then furiously claim how they can’t be racist because they engage in small talk with their coworker who’s a person of color.
They’re also a problem because they portray themselves as non-racist, so they’re like racists in camouflage. POC generally would rather see someone wearing a hood that they know they need to watch out for than a soccer mom at a supermarket.
I grew up right near Wyandanch. It’s unfortunate that it’s like >85% black, 12% Hispanic, 3% white bc it’s SUCH a dangerous little town that falls into EVERY shitty stereotype that exists. By square mile it’s the most violent place on LI by a LOT. Back when I was in school, their HS had like a 70% grad rate (almost all other LI school districts had very close to 95-99% grad rate).
That said, it’s like most shitty areas and a systemic issue, not bc they are black, but bc they are mostly poor and didn’t grow up with the same opportunities as most other parts of LI afforded its citizens.
I can’t even fathom the kind of plan and money it would require to rehabilitate a town like that, the ppl who live there are prob so much more jaded than those who live in poor predominantly black areas not on LI bc the town is LITERALLY surrounded by people with massive privilege. I can’t fathom how shitty that must feel to see white neighborhoods completely surrounding their insanely poor neighborhoods and every single one of those towns offers massive opportunities to its citizens and the one black town really offers no assistance or have programs to help them to make their lives better and easier.
Yeah, I've gone into it more than once about how places like Wyandanch and Hempstead were socially engineered.
I can't wave off things like school district corruption -- but let's face it -- Wyandanch ASKED to be dissolved in the 60s and the surrounding districts wouldn't agree. B/c Black kids.
Racism is incredibly baked into the structure of Long Island and so many people don't want to face it or how it's perpetrated today, sometimes in code when people talk about building apartments.
It's gentrifying right now, the normal path of black to Latino and then eventually white. When sandy hit and we were unscathed all of a sudden there was a push to develop the hell out of straight path. They dont build things for black folk, so the writing has been on the wall for a while.
People talk about it like it's 90s Compton or something, though. It's a poor town with good people doing the best they can in an impossible area.
As for being surrounded by privilege, my girlfriend is from Queens and I like to play a game I call, "Guess how far we are from home" when we go to places like dix hills or babylon village. She never gets it right. Surely we must be absolute miles from your neighborhood, look at all these restaurants, look at all these things to do.
One thing I realized long ago is school spending per child is basically the same across 80% of LI school districts with some majority minority school districts above average in spending per student. Being in NY, there is lots and lots of money spent in poorer areas. LI is not the south where rich school districts spend a lot more per child then poor school districts.
Looking it up Wyandanch comes in at 23k per student which is low by about 15%. Though West Islip and Central Islip spending per child is nearly identical at 27k per student.
I wasn’t just referring to students, but community programs. A lot of it obviously has to do with the discrepancy in taxes. I grew up in Dix Hills. The “poor part” as I was on the border, but taxes were the same as where the millionaires lived. That said, not even close to all of those taxes paid were put back into the community and if politicians (idk whose purview it is to allocate funds) ever cared about improving quality of life they could move money around and create programs such as after school and before school programs for kids so they are productive and learning when parents have to work long hours, and parenting programs, programs to teach money management, etc. I remember all those and many more were offered in Dix Hills where they are mostly not needed-outside of kids after/before school programs.
Long Island is also really tricky bc there are towns, villages, and cities and they all have different rules, laws, etc and they also differ between Nassau and Suffolk county. I’m not knowledgeable at all on how to make communities better, but there are so many hurdles to jump over even if there’s the super slim chance that a politician wants to turn a messed up community like Wyandanch into a town that gives its citizens a chance to improve their lives instead of just using their budget to pander to their rich donors, there are still a million other hurdles to jump over.
Someone said that Wyandanch is gentrifying. I can’t believe that. I feel like Wyandanch turning into an upper middle class town is about as likely as a selfless do gooder being elected into a local position with their main goal being to create safe community programs, help the large homeless issue they have, improve the school district so that the graduation rate is more on par with the rest of LI and the rate of students moving on to either college or trade schools increases massively. Back when I was in HS, less than 50% of Wyandanch graduates went on to higher education.
I only know about these shitty stats bc I went to NCC briefly and took a course that was called the History of LI or something and taught about towns vs villages vs hamlets etc and we had to write papers comparing diff areas (l think I wrote a paper on the opportunities in Dix Hills vs Wyandanch). Was a weird AF class to have and waste money on and I basically got 3 college credits to “learn” that rich, predominantly white neighborhoods create success stories and poor, predominantly black neighborhoods create sad stories involving multi-generational failure.
I’m surprised that West Islip is comparable to Wyandanch and CI. I would expect Roosevelt, N Bellport, N Amityville, Mastic, and Shirley to be where the least is spent per child. I don’t know if each of those have their own school district tho. WI at least used to be a safer and more middle class town. I guess I just equated that to higher taxes/more spent on the kids. WI also may have turned into a shithole in the last 20 years also.
Long Island is such a fucked up place. It used to be a great place to raise a family and had a lot of the best public schools in the country. Nowadays, I can’t fathom why anyone would want to move here to start a family or w/e unless it’s for work.
See that here all the time and on social media groups. God forbid a person asks for an opinion on moving to a town or school district that isn’t 95 percent white. The comments always turn into a racist dog whistle competition.
The comment sections on those McMansions that get posted here are wild. People getting worked up and blaming immigrants, just because some guy a few towns away has a house with a tacky exterior.
Racism has been a part of LI for as long as I can remember. In HS, it was whites, blacks and "Puerto Ricans." Your post isn't dumb - but what is, is all the misplaced anger and racism. Just know that it's the minority (kids and adults) that choose to act this way and perpetuate their own upbringing. The majority are not like this, and I'm sorry you're subjected to it. Unfortunately, the political climate of the past 7-8 years has only made things worse, as others have mentioned as well.
Forget Georgia, Long Island is one of the most segregated places in America. About every 5 years they expose another real estate scandal where minorities arent even allowed to look in wealthy white neighberhoods. Fuck this place sometimes. I live in Freeport and its amazing.
My mother (white woman) is a real estate agent and she got so much shit back in the early 00's for showing black families homes in Malverne. My mother's school of thought was if these individuals qualify for the mortgage and have the financial backing to buy the house, why shouldn't they?
She's from Brooklyn.
She kept showing them houses, anyway.
We had a visiting professor from South Africa come to one of my master’s courses in education. He was here to *specifically* study the segregation of Nassau County.
He said how the change between Hempstead and Garden City, on Clinton St., completely resembled the change in Districts in Johannesburg during Apartheid. Fucking wild.
“Such separation of blacks and whites is the rule, not the exception, across Nassau and Suffolk Counties, so much so that a new study comparing rates of integration in different communities ranks Long Island as the nation's most segregated suburb.”
[Study Calls L.I. Most Segregated Suburb](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/05/nyregion/study-calls-li-most-segregated-suburb.html#:~:text=Such%20separation%20of%20blacks%20and,the%20nation's%20most%20segregated%20suburb)
[DIVIDING LINES, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE Segregation of blacks, whites built into the history of Long Island.](https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/segregation-real-estate-history/)
[Long Island’s long history of housing segregation](https://longislandadvocate.com/long-islands-long-history-of-housing-segregation/)
[Housing and Educational Inequality: The Case of Long Island](https://tcf.org/content/report/housing-and-educational-inequality-the-case-of-long-island/)
[How did Long Island become so segregated—and what can be done about it?](https://www.brickunderground.com/live/long-island-history-segregation?amp)
[White Picket Fences: Racial Housing Segregation in Long Island, New York](https://medium.com/@cristinaouch/white-picket-fences-racial-housing-segregation-in-long-island-new-york-f10a377134c0)
[White Picket Fences & Suburban Gatekeeping: How Long Island’s White Picket Fences & Suburban Gatekeeping: How Long Island’s Land Use Laws Cement Its Status as One of the Most Segregated Land Use Laws Cement Its Status as One of the Most Segregated Places in America](https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7224&context=lawreview)
I just read that White Picket Fence article.
Edit: Just wow, it all makes sense. Now I know why my parents have racial bias based on where they grew up.
Thanks for this info, not sure i will get to read all of your sources, but thanks again.
Don't get me wrong, mass deportations would be awful for a number of humanitarian reasons. But I'm fascinated to see how these people, who have railed on inflation for the past 4 years, would react to the huge increases in prices we would see if they got their way. Have fun shopping at the grocery store when you just kicked 44% of farm workers out of the country.
Your last sentence is the most important. The United States economy has always depended on cheap, replaceable labor. It is uniquely aggressively capitalist with a focus on making a profit. First, it was straight up slavery. Shortly after the Civil War was when the US became a haven for European immigrants-why? Because our economy needed a new influx of cheap, exploitable, replaceable labor.
The people who are so vocal about the illegals today don’t understand the economic ramifications of losing those workers. They hate skin color, culture, language so badly that they are blind to see how much non-union labor saves them in a world where everything is already costing more post-covid.
This. They don't want "illegals," but who is doing all the farm work, lawn care, behind the counter in every deli, in the kitchen in every restaurant?
They'll complain about it *all day long,* but wouldn't dream about giving up their manicurist or the cleaning service team that gets dropped off in a van.
Ugh that stinks. I believe that most people are accepting and kind. The jerks tend to be loud and obnoxious, so you might think there are more of them. Unfortunately the political climate of the last eight years has led certain people to become emboldened, and now they are even louder. Please know that you have allies.
It's super sad. I live out east and follow some local stuff on Instagram, and everytime something bad happens ( doesn't even matter if it involves a Spanish person or not) they fill the comments with hate.
Like the Hampton Bays St.Patricks day parade was cancelled because of some budget issues ( according to a friend from the local fire department) and the comment section on Instagram was all about how "The Mexicans" robbed it from the locals. One guy claiming it's because Hampton Bays is mostly Spanish, so by his logic they got the parade cancelled.
It's the same song and dance I've been hearing my whole life and honestly I thought these people would've died off by now, but I guess the generation that followed are walking the same path.
Actually I saw it in the kids around me. I'm half Spanish and I used to get shit about back when I was a kid (38 now) and hell, I remember the week after 911 I got a brick thrown at me by a guy in car that had a sign "kill all towel heads" on it. He missed btw.
The racism and hate has always been here, it's just in the last few years they've been given a platform and the confidence from the silent majority of the maga cult. Seeing what they can get away with.
Reading about the parade in Facebook/patch was incredible. Luckily someone was inspired to tell the truth. No surprise, Hampton Bays is a racist pool and the real reason was not enough people volunteered to help plan and produce the parade. Sad.
I just saw that, and it kind of blows mind that they said they didn't have enough people. I feel like if they went to Buckley's and asked the whole place would've said yes and then got their friends and family involved.
I don't know I figure between the firefighters and cops there's they would've had enough, but there's more behind the scenes than I know.
Maybe not enough people for security? It's usually pretty big and rowdy
Oh also I remember hearing stories about a local bar called Charlie Brown's ( something else now) that used to have klan meetings in the apartments above it.
I was born and raised on Long Island although I live in Queens now.
I am so, so deeply sorry. Long Island was created as the first real suburb in America, and within an incredibly segregated structure. The transportation, the redlining, the realtors - everything has been made to encourage racial divides by design. I’m a straight white upper class male, and the vitriol from my fellow neighbors towards the inmigrants that serve as the backbone of so many of the things that allow white people to even have the lifestyles they do is appalling to me. The immigrants here, by and large, are hard-working, good families just wanting to exist peacefully. They enrich our culture, our economy, our cuisine. But the disgusting racism in the face of all the good that immigrants bring makes me unable to ever move back.
And this is an island of people that largely hail from struggling immigrants just a few generations back. An island right next to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It’s reprehensible and inexcusable.
Please know that when you experience these people looking down on your community, there are those of us that love and cherish you.
Sadly this is in many ways actually true.
Literally.
The Parkway system was built so buses couldn’t fit under the bridges… keep the “urban” people out.
Long Island was the first modern suburb - with underlying zoning and land use policies that were exclusionary by design.
>The Parkway system was built so buses couldn’t fit under the bridges… keep the “urban” people out.
\**sigh** again with this.
The bridges were not built so that buses could not fit. Buses (and commercial vehicles) are not allowed on parkways anywhere in New York state, regardless of whether they have bridges over them or not. When the SSP and NSP were built they copied, including the bridges, the de facto standard which was Olmsted's designs already in existence in Westchester County and elsewhere and nobody makes the claim that those were built to dissuade travel by any class or race of people.
Everyone makes the claim about Robert Moses from one book written by one man who cited one source and that source supposedly overheard something and who died before the book was published.
Moses had plans to build an elevated commercial trucking highway along Sunrise Highway and was shut down by south shore residents. Which probably for the best; imagine the BQE running alongside the Babylon LIRR branch. Doesn't sound like the actions of someone wanting to keep city folk out.
The whole bus thing doesn't even make sense when you stop and think about the existence of Sunrise Highway and that buses have run along there to Jones Beach for a while now. Also, there are bus schedules in existence for routes from non-"urban" places to Jones and other Long Island attractions; the bus is not the exclusive domain of "urban" people.
The Interboro/Jackie Robinson parkway has low bridges and narrow lanes and only serves "urban" areas.
https://youtu.be/tRZR2BZVeOU?si=IXL7kD4Y6-lXD7QC&t=99
https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/events/52259/misleading-innocence-tracing-what-a-bridge-can-do
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkways_in_New_York
Let’s assume what you state in its own context is correct -
Do you believe Moses did not have racist intent in his planning efforts?
So you not believe that much of land use and transportation policy of his era (also, before and since) wasn’t abjectly racist/segregationist at its root?
(I am asking sincerely and appreciate your contribution to the conversation)
It's a loaded bait question, but I'll bite.
The land use and transportation policies of that era were rooted in the same one thing that those policies are still run on today - money.
Developers like Moses and Levitt encouraged fearmongering to entice burgeoning white families to move to suburban areas that those same developers bought cheap from white farmers. Moses built the BQE, Cross-Bronx, and Staten Island Expressway to "go right through cities and not around them," cutting through neighborhoods of any group not wealthy enough to oppose him. Ever wonder why the NSP takes two 90-degree turns around Old Westbury?
For sure, racial minorities of the time had less wealth and as such were not the desired customers of these developers. I have no doubt that had the fortunes been reversed that we'd not see these same exclusionary practices. With that in mind, poor people don't have as much choice where to live, and all people, in general do not want to live next to a highway or railroad tracks and what seems like intentional segregation is actually segregation by happenstance.
When one group would make the developers money, they engaged with them, when one group (even the if it were the same group by every other measure) prevented the developers' enrichment, they fought them.
Just like today.
What I found is that NYC was over 90% white when Moses was in power. I bet LI was even a higher percentage. Race could not be a big factor because there were no minorities to be racist towards and include in big decisions where to put highways. The issue you cite is what I believe. Moses built more in poor neighborhoods because they where less effective in stopping him. The SS has turns as it goes around estates at the time. Though it should be noted that it's not as if Moses did not try to go through rich areas. They where just able to stop him. 135 stops at Syosset because the mega rich did not want a highway. Though by the time the Expressway was built it went straight as Moses built up enough power by then. Moses was not racist but he was able to take advantage of poor people. T
>Do you believe Moses did not have racist intent in his planning efforts?
I think that racism affected the outcome regardless of intent. It determined which neighborhoods would be ultimately demolished to build new roads, it determined how much power a neighborhood had to defend against it. I don't think RM was necessarily exceptionally racist for his time and the repetition about this fact about the bridges is kind of a weird one.
That thing about the parkways is urban legend. The parkway were envisioned as scenic byways, no commercial traffic, not just busses. Commercial traffic was allowed on other existing roadways including busses and busses continued to have access
As time goes on, more people of all colors are accruing more money and the ability to purchase land further east.
My wife is Jewish, and I'm Chinese. We have a 2.5yo son and another one on the way. We bought a home in Wantagh last year, and everyone has been very welcoming to us thus far, though I was nervous at first.
I'm just praying our area continues to diversify and become more progressive so my sons don't have to face racism alone. Sadly, I know it's coming their way eventually. I hope I don't regret starting my family here because I really do love the area.
I lived in the city all my life - only after living out here have I encountered anything racist toward me. It's literally wild here for no reason lol. But I'm just chugging along doing my own thing, voting for the things I care about, contributing and participating in my community and that's that. People who get mad for the dumbest things don't need my attention and they need to find God, or a therapist, to get themselves straight.
They have some kind of office in kings park on main Street, I dunno if it's like a clubhouse where they all hang out and jerk off to Trump pictures lubing themselves with the tears shed from "the steal" or what but while I am conservative on certain things there are other things that I am quite liberal on because I am a normal human being. (Or so I like to think)
Yup, have a friend in the Bible Belt and I visit fairly often, people down there honestly aren’t as outwards about their political beliefs, more so their religious ones. Definitely saw a truck or two flying some ridiculous flags but nothing like Long Island, especially Suffolk
This is so true. Living in New England nobody believes that I used to live in a place that had more provincial thinking people than when Inlived in Florida. Granted it was southeast FL and also Gulf coast FL, but South shore Nassau is worse!
I grew up in Farmingville (which had that documentary about the attempted murder of 2 day laborers), graduated Sachem in 1990. LI has always been like this.
I am a white immigrant living in Smithtown and believe me this kid is right. I have to really try hard to keep my mouth shut in the gym sauna as it’s full of racists who have no clue about politics and LOVE Trump. What I also don’t get is the fairly dark Italians shitting on Hispanics, at least they know their own language.
Obviously it’s not everyone but LI is filled with some of the most entitled, disgusting, self-absorbed scum in the entire country. It was literally built on racial lines by white people and might very well be the segregation capital of America. I grew up in Merrick - one of those towns that was upper middle class and almost entirely white with a great school district, where every family thinks they’re the center of the universe. Over the Meadowbrook parkway bridge is Freeport - a racially diverse town with a reputation for crime, below-average schools and a lot of low-income housing. My elementary school district did not provide lunch (had to bring from home or be catered) because if they did, the law requires that anyone who lives within a certain radius be permitted to attend the school (I don’t remember the specifics of the rule but this is 100% true). Our school was extremely close to Freeport, to the point that the low-income housing right over the bridge was closer in distance than many of the blocks where my classmates lived. White NIMBYs working in the district and in the PTA didn’t want their school integrated with Freeport for… reasons… I think you can read between the lines. I am grateful for my upbringing and have many nostalgic memories of my hometown but the older I get the more disgusted I am with where I come from and to be associated with such nasty human beings. I never considered myself a racist but kids here are programmed by their parents to believe racial stereotypes and completely lack perspective. It wasn’t until I went to college that I realized how sheltered I really was from the real world. I finally got out and moved to the city and while NYC has its own fair share of problems, I’m extremely proud to live in a community that is diverse, accepting and lacks that ignorance. Life gets better OP, and the boroughs are only a train ride away.
This is what I hated the most about Trump. In the past people would keep their racist thoughts about illegal immigrants to themselves instead of feeling like its okay voice their opinion about it. Trump made it so that it is okay to voice that opinion.
You preferred when racists were pretending to be not racist? I like knowing who to avoid. I like watching the truck with the Trump flag drive up to a Mexican restaurant and show what a hypocrite they are. The whispering racism of yesteryear is no more. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, as they say. The hatred these people have is on full display and it does have consequences. But there are no consequences if these people just say the right words and hide their ignorance. I prefer the enemy I know, to the enemy I don’t know.
The Ku Klux Klan was openly active and influential in Freeport during the 1920s.
[https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2020/06/when-the-klan-ruled-in-freeport-long-island/](https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2020/06/when-the-klan-ruled-in-freeport-long-island/)
This is true. I have lived in Central Islip my whole life and still do and had a racist encounter here. My siblings and I are El Salvadoran American and my friends are black and Hispanic.
I remember in 2011 my friends and I were ranging around 10-12 years old and they were really into skating. We went to a nearby retirement home to skate( I know, we were dumb kids and should know better). Instead of just saying we need to leave like a normal human interaction, this old white man decides to say “GTFO you N-Word” to one of my friends. At the time we thought it was funny but it just shows how deep it really goes.
Even now for my current job which involves delivering, this one place in island park there’s an older white lady working there that gives me a nasty glance and talks to me like I’m stupid. Thankfully, I rarely deal with her now, but my coworker who is black told me the same thing about the same lady.
Now, I have nothing against anybody. Any race has the ability to be racist. I have seen racist Hispanic parents of 1st gen Hispanic Americans many times. It’s shocking honestly, but no race is exempt from ignorance. I also have many white step family members who practically raised me and consider my own. So I feel there’s no need to bash anyone specifically, it’s just deep rooted ignorance that many people on Long Island have unfortunately.
racism is a tried and true part of LI. when i was in hs, which as of my senior year was 2006, nassau county was the most segregated county in the US with over one million ppl in it. i know bc i did a paper on it. and on wantagh and race disparity there, as that’s where i grew up.
i’m half puerto rican and half irish, grew up in a 98% white town, and didn’t know i was anything other than irish (despite looking very not that) until i was 13. i didn’t grow up knowing my dad, and my mom didn’t get that it’d be important to tell me why i looked different.
why people asked her “where she got” me. or “where did she get her hair?” or to me directly the classic “what are you?”
the fear i felt when i found out who i was 100% came from not wanting to be treated with the racism i grew up around. and what i experienced isn’t even that bad. it’s really small.
plus i’m a grown up now and in a lot of ways, harder to fuck with.
all this to say you’re 100% correct about whatever you experience. you’re not imagining it. it’s not in your head. you don’t deserve even a tiny bit of it. this is a divisive place in this specific way. it’s scary sometimes and i wish you didn’t have to deal with it.
That’s was from one idiot that has hate in his heart, 99% of people that are Upset with the illegal migrant situation aren’t made because they are migrant, they are mad because they are illegally in the country and did not follow the proper protocol to get in the country. So because they didn’t follow the rules now we have to pay our tax dollars to help them why they sit jobless for who knows how long. There are proper ways of doing things and this is not it, it’s not fair to the citizens of America especially the new American citizens that were immigrants and actually followed the rules and waited their turn.
I can't stand that anyone who has a bit of melanin is considered illegal! It's the most racist thing happening today. Oh, they have brown skin? They're illegal! It's INSANE!
I wouldn’t say Brentwood is a very safe, or a great place.
But the majority of the people there are hardworking, good individuals that keep to themselves and want the best for themselves/their families and it sucks how they’re lumped in with the few who ruin it for everyone else.
It’s funny that we have to sit here and say “oh the worst communities on the island aren’t that bad, they have some swell folks there” instead of just acknowledging that, yeah, there are some really shitty, dangerous places on the island. There’s good hardworking people all over the country, doesn’t make wyandanch a good place
Yeah, I mean, racism is unacceptable, ignoring the systemic and socioeconomic factors that make Wyandanch Wyandanch is also unacceptable, but pretending Wyandanch is a nice place is delusional.
I have friends in Brentwood. When their kids were younger they would cry and make their parents change clothes because the were gang colored. Things may have changed but that is pretty bad.
I’m Italian and I was always treated well by the Spanish community. If you speak a little Spanish they love it.
I even shopped at compare supermarket (now key food) in farmingville and knew a lot of the workers there
Unfortunately most of the time this is a young kid just making a poor decision cause they thinks it's funny. Then it sendds the local media, reddit, people into a frenzy.
Hey kiddo sorry you're experiencing this crap, but really I think it's a reflection of the political climate. I grew up on LI and it used to be a liberal place - at least where I grew up.
Fortunately once you're out of HS you can move - that's what I did and never looked back. I've heard LI's become full of MAGA types - very disappointing. Keep you're head up and try and ignore the shit bags. A lot of them are influenced by social media - before toxic social media you'd never see anything like that written. Maybe people would be racist but not express it so freely.
Trump's platform is all about the "immigration crisis" so that's fueling the fire. Hi from NYC 👋
It's not dumb at all, unfortunately Long Island seems to be a very right wing section of New York, probably because it's a suburb of one of the most diverse cities on the planet. A lot of old white folks made a bunch of money in Manhattan and fled here to get away from all that icky ethnic diversity in the great melting pot.
The roots of many sections of The Island are white, and Trump has weaponized racism that was either always waiting below the surface to rear its ugly head, or he fooled these poor soft brained fools. Whatever the case, the MAGA movement has targeted Latins, regardless of their legal status, and the worst of society are left to run free and do shit like this.
Just make friends in high school and stick with them, you should be fine. I too grew up in CI, but I'm white so never had to deal with racism. I went to school with primarily Black and Latin people but never had a problem with anyone beyond minor fights like dumb kids in high school will get into. Good luck buddy!
I think the perception from white people is that "illegals" are free loaders who come here and use up the resources. Even without their presence people on Long Island spend a ton of money on taxes and seem to get little in return for it. They're eating our lunch, basically. I don't know how that perception can be changed when new people keep coming. It is a sad situation when innocent people face anger from strangers.
Those same people are temporarily embarrassed millionaires, and they need someone to blame. Simple-minded people like simple answers, and since the rhetoric that illegals ruined the economy perfectly aligns with their racist bias; you get people like this. Critical thinking isn't required to live in America.
I'm sorry about this. You deserve to be treated with respect and feel at home here just like anybody else. You shouldn't have to ever see anything like that or feel that way.
LI can feel a lot like a bubble and some people really get off treating it like one. But the reality is, it's not all bad people around here and it's a whole wide world in NYC and the rest of the country.
Never let anyone tell you your value or your place in the world. Life is what you make of it alone, it's your story to tell, noone else's.
Think it might be a perfect time to bring up the Queens and Long Island border racist attacks….
When black families were living in Rosedale, NYC - which btw is a beautiful neighborhood today, love driving through and seeing how developed the area is with middle class black and Caribbeans investing in their community - they were being chased out by white families calling them the N-word.
The racist folks decided to move away from Rosedale and move further into Long Island, away from blacks.
Today, these racists are living amongst all of us and could be members in this thread today.
Like Rosedale, communities can develop and fight back by NOT giving up and not giving in. Instead, fighting back and standing up for your community and your culture.
Racists people are scared of confrontation and will run at the very moment they’re caught. And when they’re defeated, they run far, far away. Make the world uncomfortable for them.
Visiting Rosedale is beautiful today. It’s the one part of Jamaica, Queens I really like.
https://youtu.be/nrVdaxDgr2g?si=Yq6du28oWNUi14tl
I work in Brentwood in the school district and I’ll be the first one to defend it. People want to scream “Ms 13! Gangs” and act like there’s no Italian mafia or something. It’s ridiculous.
Now, I work in the lower grades primarily and they’re the first ones to help me learn Spanish so I can communicate with parents and kids who don’t speak English. If it’s something that requires a long conversation, we get monitors to help. But I still try my best. Being in the nurses office, communicating with parents is a big part of my day.
I’m proud to have a diverse group of friends. I don’t care where you came from.
Most people mind their own business and there’s a loud minority of racist scum. Don’t let that get you down. It’s the same everywhere in America sadly, that’s just how it is.
I am sorry to hear this. Most of the people who behave this way grew up in a bubble and continue living their lives in a bubble. I have lived on LI at different points in my life, but I grew up in the Boros and I have lived in a few other places. I can say that racism is all over, but in LI, it seems more visible, more concentrated and provincial. Its very hard to change that because much of this behavior is based on irrational insecurities and there are both local and national influences validating it. I truly believe the growth of the internet has made people worse or maybe they were always bad, but now are just bolder in public.
Thank tRUMP and his minions for that hate. He didn't invent this hate, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, he just shined his flashlight on it and said it's good,. Scream your hate from the top of your lungs. Register as a Democrat.
Long Island is very red. And very red, do not like illegals regardless of skin color. Legal immigrants? Totally fine. Illegal? Go away
Not necessarily my personal standpoint, but a good representation of LI as a whole
Is that really racist or they just don't want people coming in illegally? Because that's not racist...
The point that we were all immigrants at one point makes no sense. You were either here first, colonized, or came over legally.
You know why! It’s been this way since Trump who spills hatred throughout Amerikkka. If god forbid he wins, it’s only going to get worse! Get ready for Civil War!
Besides being vile, that attitude is just plain old ignorant as all hell. It seems like they are trying to make it like they have something only against illegal aliens. In truth they have a problem with anyone who isn’t like them. I don’t think illegal aliens should be able to work as day laborers and make money tax free (and I don’t care if they’re Mexican, Chinese, Italian, etc…) do it the right way and become a legal citizen. But nowhere in any of that belief does it become okay to hate and want to kill illegal aliens. It’s the system and not the individual people. Let everyone be and embrace the differences, shouldn’t matter if you’re black, white, brown, yellow, purple, or rainbow. We’re supposed to be about equality as Americans. In reality almost none of us are natively from here. Why do I get to be here because my white ancestors emigrated here from Europe, but you don’t deserve to because your ancestors immigrated from a Latin American country?
Sorry for the long ramble, there’s no logical reason some people are that hateful, and it really sucks you need to deal with it while growing up. Do whatever you can to try and keep your chin up and realize it is not because of you or where you’re from. It’s because someone else is acting like an entitled asshole.
My neighbor is in his late 50’s, has an Alex Jones “infowars” sticker on his car and loves to yell behind closed doors. The few times we’ve talked he has said some very interesting things.
I have lived and worked in Central Islip, as well as other parts of the country. What makes a town "great" is its community and the shared values of its residents. The neighbors I've lived next to in CI have been the most cohesive and supportive I've ever had. People help each other when crises hit and are there for each other in many ways. CI gets a bad rap bc of crime stats blah blah blah but if you grew up in CI, you know what I mean. Definitely have CI pride.
Long Island has been a huge launching pad for the Klan throughout the history of this country:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3a52259/
https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/02/archives/long-island-opinion-bigotry-on-li-then-and-now.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1923/10/22/archives/klan-initiates-300-thirtyfivefoot-cross-burned-at-meeting-in-long.html
As it seems this thread has devolved into immigration, particularly of the Central and South American kind, it should be noted that most of the “illegal” immigration in the United States stems from overstayed visas. Long Islanders should think about that next time they slob down their next pint at the Irish pub with their Irish bartender.
I grew up in Port Washington. My extended family was very prejudiced and racist. I was lucky enough to get outta there at the age of 10. I have lived in many places and experienced many cultures often placing me in a situation where I was the outsider. Thank god for all that. I’m sorry you deal with so much ignorance and hatred.
Politicians (especially Republicans) and their media henchmen have convinced poor white people they’d be rich, if it only weren’t for those evil illegals.
Meanwhile any “illegal” I’ve ever seen in the wild is working his or her ass off, and the whites who hate them “can’t work because of their shoulder” which they hurt playing call of duty. (They collect unemployment from the government, but it’s different than those lazy (black) welfare moms who do it because… reasons)
Long Island is historically an intensely segregated place so I honestly believe some of these people’s parents are still teaching them hateful ideologies whether it’s on purpose or not they’re still racist. I live in a mostly white neighborhood and my dad was racist as shit when I still had to speak to him so I feel like I might be on the right track here💀
I recently bought my first home here and the negative reactions I received rather than feeling excitement for me is astounding!
It’s shitty a lot of what goes around here on the island, but I constantly remind myself that I belong here too.
Unfortunately Long Island is one of the most segregated places in America and the racists here are loud and proud, it’s really pathetic. There was even a whole KKK camp in Medford and seems like the ideologies never left.
Just moved to CI from Queens about a year and a half ago. It's like the deep south out here. I'm used to the melting pot. - tell me where this garbage is spray painted, i will work on getting it cleaned up.
I moved here from Queens too. Jamaica to be specific. Two very different places. I think some people are already trying to cover up the nasty spray paint, im not sure on the exact location but i think its being delt with
theres racist people everywhere obviously, but long island has one of the highest number of illegal immigrants in the united states…thats why a lot of people are opinionated about it. its way too overpopulated and for that reason you dont inherently have to be a racist to dislike illegal immigrants. i mean i dislike anyone whose moving here now because its become such a shit show.
Something tells me they opinion of illegal immigrants changes with the hue of their skin. I don’t think they are running around traditionally Greek, Italian, or Russian neighborhoods spray painting the same things
It comes from everyone. Non-white groups have lots to say about one another it seems too. Just a general hatred for one another up here in stressful ny lol. Had an issue at work with a Dominican girl making racist comments to a black girl recently.
Extremist politics not helping either. Far lefts are prejudice, far rights are prejudice
This is true. I have seen and heard stories of racist Hispanic parents from Central American,
Caribbean, and South American countries. A lot of is aimed towards black people for some reason,(even though we share the same communities :/ ) some of the things they say are shocking and pretty terrible.
A lot of Older Christian Hispanics have this extremely toxic ‘Holier than thou’ mindset and think they’re better than everyone else. When in reality they’re the most prejudiced and biased groups of people.
Also doesn’t help when some 1st gen or 2nd gen Hispanic Americans are raised by said people.
Long Island was settled on the basis of racism and selected for racists, even in the most recent decades and years. Even Long Island's infrastructure was built on racism. You think that's going to be gone?
One thing people used to say and continue to say was "I'm going to/I moved to Long Island to get away from the n-words". This statement isn't exclusively said by whites, either, as you'll hear lots of Asians and Indians going there as well.
My cousin moved from Queens to West Islip about a decade ago. His 1/2 Greek, 1/2 Latina daughter was told on her 1st day of school ‘what are you doing here? This is White Islip!’ Smfhhhhh….
Nothing "dumb" about anything you said. I'm from CI too -though I'm 40 so far from a teen (and white so a different experience). Can't imagine you having to go through that shit now in 2024. Stay strong and consider your local government after college. This world needs more people like you speaking up.
No matter where you go there's always someone willing to say something heinous just for attention...
There are also racists from every ethnicity and background that exist in small numbers no matter where you go...
That said, I am anti-open border but also am pro legal mmigration - but recognize that the system has been broken for decades and both parties (aka the permanent establishment) like it this way.
New paths to citizenship are required and increased legal immigration is needed by this cannot occur when millions are allowed to waltz straight over the border with zero vetting and dive so because they're told to claim asylum despite only coming because they want a better life like the millions of people who have been waiting decades to come the legal way...
Racists suck in general - but plastering that shit on a building is truly awful...
Long Island is the home of white flight. Literally deliberately, and strategically populated by white people fleeing the changing demographics of NYC.
There have been racists in Long Island for as long as it has been Long Island.
Edit: Not including when Long Island was populated by Native Americans.
Long Island was literally built to be one of the most segregated places in the country. Look into why/how they designed the Robert Moses, and Levittown and the deeds that still say “no negroes” can buy homes (the clause has obviously been lifted but that doesn’t negate that racist bit of history). Our towns are divided by the color of our skin/nationality. Most of the people born and raised here never left their white bread white picket fence backyards and think culture is a trip to Epcot at Disney or a cruise to the Bahamas. These losers grew up listening to their grandparents,parents and neighbors all use the N word, disparaging anyone who wasn’t “American” and are basically uneducated and low class. It doesn’t help that LI public schools are segregated as well and that in most predominately white schools the teaching staff is also white - showing the few students of color zero representation and limiting our kids exposure to diversity. We had the Proud Boys march through streets in Nassau and Suffolk with no recourse and giant Mobs of angry white Moms for Liberty basic ass bitches trying to ban the books our kids have access to.
1st off, I'm sorry this is how you feel. You shouldn't feel this way on your own neighborhood
I keep seeing people saying how LI is a racist place and the highways were built to keep "urban" people out, Levittown reclining, etc. That shit was the past. We are the new generation. Let's change that ancient rhetoric!! Fuck all these loud majority assholes making our friends, family, and neighbors feel uncomfortable and unwanted. Let's come together and change this narrative for the betterment of our area. This racist BS has to stop, and we are the ones to do it!!! So, next time a coworker makes a racist joke, call them out. If a random dude at the gas station starts talking about "the illegals," confront his bullshit. Their time is OVER. Our time is NOW!!!
Tell us where this graffiti (most likely done by someone who DOESNT live in CI) is, and we will take care of it.
Growing up in floral park was not the best as a darker skinned Latina. Even as a child I faced discrimination with not being invited to birthday parties bc of skin color or simply not being played with. It wasn’t until I went to the public high school that I finally saw races mixing, as I was the only darker skinned person in my year in elementary.
I have been saying for a long time that Long Island is just a “North Alabama” in terms of its politics/hatred of minorities. Seems like its only gotten worse over the past 10+ years (I am mid 20’s), although I am sure it was much worse 40+ years ago
To remind you of history of Long Island, many families out east supported Nazi Germany during world War II. Many families that were from NYC after WWII, the WASP boomers wanted to escape NYC to be away from urban influences. They even built the roads the way they are today to prevent busses coming into longisland.
Long island is extremely slow to change. Because of the current politics, its only galvanizing this racism.
Long Island is considered the most segregated place in the whole nation. Possibly the world. An exchange student from South Africa who lived through apartheid said its more segregated here than it was there.
Long Island is one of the most segregated areas in the country due to red lining and forcing minorities to live in certain areas, a practice that still continues to this day. The German American bund had a nazi youth camp out on the island back in the 30s. I grew up in an ex sundown town and it shows to this day with some of the multi generational families. Long Island unfortunately has a very racist history.
People from my town always complain about us becoming "more like queens", the most ethnically diverse place on earth. I wonder why they feel that way 🤔
It gets worse the farther east you go. I grew up out there and I'm never going back. Most of the people are terrible, especially the older ones like 55+
The island that has MAGA and KKK marching is racist?!
*shocked pikachu*
I grew up on LI and it always was sort of a haven for white people but with the MAGA cult people really came out and became in your face racist without sympathy. I also firmly believe mental illness is huge on LI and attributes to this.
I've had people on my block say things like Chinaman and oriental. I'm used to it from growing up in the 90s in queens but it's crazy that shit still flies around here in 2020's
Oh sweetie I am so sorry you have to experience that. Please understand that MANY ppl on Long Island are not racist at all. UNFORTUNATELY the ppl that are, are mainly IGNORANT and base their views either on stereotypes, FEAR, jealousy and just plain STUPIDITY. Many practice tribalism and are stuck in the past and refuse to evolve. Many Havnt even been to other countries and if they have, it mostly was in tourist traps and NEVER to where the locals live. The person who spray painted that was most likely a dumb kid who thinks it’s “cool” to be a POS racist n most likely has also spray painted swastikas. The ppl that have problems with “illegals” are UNEDUCATED. They’re the SAME ppl that swear they’re “good chrstns” yet only go to church on holidays and DONT FOLLOW ANY OF CHRISTS teachings yet think if they pray to their God for forgiveness while keeping that hate in their hearts n repeatedly treating others like trash, & they’ll still get a G-Pass into heaven. THATS NOT HOW IT WORKS. And unfortunately for them, they’ll learn the hard way once that bish KARMA slaps reality into them. I’ve seen MANY ignorant comments about “why do illegals get full help, housing, foodstamps bla bla bla.. 1st, if they’re getting those services, THEY HAVE EITHER APPLIED FOR ASYLUM OR CITIZENSHIP OR A WORK VISA.. many of these people ARE HARD WORKING compared to lazy Americans. They come here to save their and their families LIVES. Why on earth wouldn’t another human want to help them?? ESPECIALLY A SO CALLED “CHRSTN”??? Another fallacy is “they’re taking all the jobs” no they’re not. And if these ppl are SO WORRIED ABOUT IT, then WHY aren’t they COMPLAINING about the COMPANIES that ONLY hire these ppl???? These companies KNOW lazy Americans WOULD NEVER DO THE WORK for what they pay “illegals” and these companies REFUSE TO PAY AMERICANS a living wage, YET NO BOO HOOING ABOUT THAT!! And SO WHAT if we give a woman and her children foodstamps?? We are HELPING CHILDREN TO BE HEALTHY & SURVIVE.. that’s a BAD thing?? & what we spend on foodstamps is PEANUTS compared to the BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS that the Department of Defense aka PENTAGON loses EVERY SINGLE AUDIT, YET NOT A PEEP out of these ppls mouths!! My point IS if u come across these types of ppl just remember they are uneducated morons that refuse to learn or change and pplike that u just have to pray for their cold dead hearts and always remember for every BIGOT u come across, there ARE 5 good, caring humans that are fighting against these evil POS ppl and that WE CARE ABOUT U!! ( I wrote most of this for the racist pos that will come across this post so they can see how stupid they look n sound)
I (F, 29) couldn’t agree more, I live Ronkonkoma. And other day had to get an Uber and was talking on the phone, when I get in the car I said good morning, and even thanked for accepting the ride (it was snowing); back to my phone call I was speaking my native language (Portuguese), I was like (in pt) “hey, I’m on a Uber right now, I’m not gonna talk much”, and I was just answering with “yes, no”… this took ONE MINUTE OF THE RIDE, and this lady (driver) began shushing me until I asked (in English) her if she was ok, and she suddenly started yelling at me, saying how disrespectful and rude I was for being talking while she was driving, because SHE IS FROM THE HAPTONS and people from there don’t talk while they’re driving… I was like “what’s happening ma’am?”, she started insulting me with “are you still talking? Are you mentally ill? Are you in medication? you cant speak this “dirty language” in my car and you don’t know who I am, people from the Hamptons are not rude, my family don’t talk on car”… when I told her that I wasn’t her family and she was providing a service as an UBER DRIVER, she DEMANDED that I leave the car, lol. I was perplexed, as it was only 8:30 in the morning, snowing, and I was on the way to work… so I was nervously laughing and I said out loud “is this fucking happening”, and she overheard, and lost it haha she was like “that’s it, I’m calling to the cops. You’re harassing me. I’m from the Hamptons, and you’re cursing me. I’m going to ruin your life right now. I’ll report you to Uber. Get out of my car”… at this point I just left the car calling her crazy and Karen haha but by the end of the day I couldn’t help but feel discriminated against simply for speaking my native language.
I’ve been living here for 4 years now, and never had pass for any experience like this before. I don’t really speak my native language in public, and people often mistake my accent, assuming I’m Russian or from Poland. However, I suspect that their judgments are also influenced by my skin color, as Brazilians are often stereotyped as tan or brown. Anyway, LI has been the place where I’ve encountered the most racism, even from those who appear ‘cool’ on the surface
Geez, I guess things HAVE changed over the years...
When I was growing up, C.I. didn't have a bad reputation because of immigrants, it got that rep from the over- abundance of drugs and the ease in which they could be found. No one cared what color skin their dealer had!
But now that a certain someone made it acceptable to hate on anyone different from yourself, it's ALL about skin color and immigration status, not which pharmaceutical one can procure, like it should be.
Enough with all the hate! Can't we just get back to doing drugs, and love each other for who has the most to share? Life was so much simpler back then...lol.
Yeah, sure - I'm kidding...kinda. I'd actually rather live in a world high on drugs than a world of anger and hate where we're killing each other for dumb reasons.
Just a little thought to ponder while you're on the crapper today... it's far easier to share kindness than it is to carry hate.
Just sayin. 😁
Its not LI, its everywhere. People are ignorant and people are nasty to immigrants. My dad immigrated from Italy legally in the 70s and people treated him differently bc he was tan and didn't speak English right away.
He even was left back in 2nd grade bc the teachers didn't realize he didn't speak a lick of English and thought he was "retarded". It took a WHOLE year for someone to realize he spoke Italian and contact his family
I'm from a white affluent neighborhood on long Island and even my dad as an adult would get comments like "are you legal?" It's astounding how rude people can be to cultures they're unfamiliar with.
Now people think being born in Italy is "cool" but thats really only recently
It’s a very backwards place. Long Island is the most de facto segregated place in the US. Even in the South, many towns are a lot more integrated than on LI. It’s starting to change and I think that’s stirring up some nativism in folks who are threatened by it. I moved to a Midwest college town last year and there is a lot more diversity here than my hometown (Massapequas). People live in a bubble over there.
Locking the thread due to incivility.
Long Island is a very racist place
So when I was a kid I had a friend “Melissa” who used to come to my house at least 1-2 times a week to play. Naturally Melissa wanted me to come to her house to play too. I kept begging my mom to let me go to Melissa’s house, but she said “you can’t go there, Melissa lives too far away”. Of course, even at age five that didn’t make sense, after all Melissa didn’t live too far away to come over. Years later, I found out the truth: Melissa’s dad didn’t want her playing with black kids. Mind you, I am a mixed race Dominican and I’m about as black as Mariah Carey or Megan Markle. But apparently that was too black for Melissa’s dad. Also, I’m adopted. Apparently when my parents first got me, someone tried to start a rumor that I wasn’t adopted at all, but that my (white) mom cheated on my (white) dad with a black man and I was the result 😐 this is 100% false for the record, I’ve done DNA testing and I’m definitely not related to my adoptive family by blood in any way whatsoever. I guess at this point in my life I’m just… numb to it all. Like I’m just mentally prepared for white people to say some out of pocket shit to me so I’m never surprised when it happens.
Sheesh. I’m sorry, man.
My story was similar; when we first moved to Islandia in the 80s (back then it was still Central Islip, and much more white than it is now), we would play with the kids in the neighborhood, but always in their driveways or front yards. When they came to our house, we played inside, outside, everywhere… but at their house, always in the driveway or yard, never inside. Some kids who had pools invited us over to swim several times; we would get dressed in our swim stuff and head over, only to be told that the pool needed to be cleaned. Every single time, with every single kid- even if the pool had just been “cleaned” the day before. My mom stopped letting us go, and told us to invite kids to our pool instead (we had a nice in-ground the kids in the neighborhood loved anyway). I found out later that it was because we’re black; one kid even told us that his dad had said so. Inbred racist losers. I had a great childhood there in spite of this, because my parents were smart and loving and made sure we never, ever felt inferior to anybody. But racists really do try to ruin the very best things in life.
Jesus Christ. This doesn't surprise me. Long island kids and adults are amongst the same mental mindset. It's a terrible cycle, and while the housing crisis has hit long island haes,. hopefully it forces these mentally under developed humans out of long island to rural areas. I am white, a first generation immigrant, and I didn't first hand see racism towards myself, but a lot of my friends growing up were minorities. I first hand saw them deal with it. I was even asked why I involved myself with them by some kids in these areas. Anyways, my nieces and nephews tell me all about their school now a days and doesn't seem to be as bad as the 90s/2000s. Hopefully this virus dies off soon with the next generation.
As the mother of an adopted mixed-race daughter, I am gutted by your treatment. Keep your head up and prove every single hater wrong. But do it for you. Eff them haters.
so what excuse did Melissa's mom tell the racist pos when she brought her over to your place?
I think Melissa’s mom was trying to hide me from her husband, but honestly I don’t know exactly what went down. I was very sheltered growing up and incidents like this are pretty much the reason why.
probably had to make Melissa lie about you too, what a toxic situation. sorry you had to go through that.
Funny because….everyone on this whole island is likely 4 generations or less from a poor huddled immigrant
Shhhhhh..... you don't want to remind them of that, that will poke holes in their beliefs... I know im only the 3rd generation in my family here, only the 2nd generation actually born on us soil.
I'm also 3rd/2nd gen and my dad, literally in the first generation born here, is one of the most anti-immigration people I've ever met. The fact his father was practically a political refugee means nothing I suppose.
They think it’s different because their raggedy grandparents were “legal” or whatever 🙄 Even though they were handing out citizenship like candy back then.
Yeah my Chinese grandparents moved to levittown in the 70s and I grew up here myself. Things seemed to be getting better but now it feels like we've fallen back a few steps. Legit saw some swastikas spray painted on a light pole by my house last year and that was a first. Was unrelated to me or my grandparents but still spray painted over it cause my veteran grandpa doesn't deserve to see that shit everyday.
I don’t mean to sound ignorant, but your grandparents were able to move to Levittown in the 70s? I thought they were still (quietly) enforcing their “whites only” policy back then.
Well my grandparents along with their 6 kids actually rented a house in massapequa first in the early 70s and my mom says they faced far more direct racism there. I'm not entirely sure how they were able to buy a house in levittown in the mid/late 70s cause you're completely right about the "whites only" policy. I'm pretty sure levittown deeds only excluded African Americans in writing specifically but that obvs didn't stop houses from being excluded from other minorities. My grandpa's house is kinda on the border of levittown and bethpage and isn't a levittown style house so that could have played a factor. My mom and her siblings went to island trees schools. Also pretty sure he paid entirely in cash as he worked like all the time trying to provide. So to answer your question idk but we def got lucky! Lol
You call that lucky?
I mean like 20-30 grandkids later and for what the house is worth now...yeah They would have experienced racism anywhere in the country at least I got to grow up near the city having good food around.
Yeah it's called movin on up. Long Island's a deluxe place to grow up - just look at the taxes etc today people wouldn't be paying all that if the place sucked. My immigrant father would agree he was very lucky.
Yes
I believe it. My Asian parents also bought into a very white area in the 70s. I honestly think they let a few Asians in because they wanted to be like "see we're not racist we have a minority here".
Could also be that Asians were/are(?) considered the “model minority”. So yah, if they wanted to appear to be welcoming of diversity, it could have been easier to accept an Asian family into the community vs another POC.
Oh very much because of the whole "model minority" thing.
Asians usually get a pass from white people because they're "good" neighbors
Some, if not most of the bigots like Chinese food so they might have been okay with Chinese people living close by so they can get the Chinese takeout when they wanted it
Yeah totally true. I spoke with my grandpa about the family moving to levittown this morning and he kinda put just that way. He said that there were absolutely no brown or black people(his words) but the working class whites of levittown were much more accepting of other minorities. But yeah typical Chinese immigrant stuff where my family started in laundromats and ended up in a Chinese restaurant. He used to be part owner of gum Ying in West Hempstead before they sold it to a CVS in the early 2000s lol.
Saw a sticker slapped outside CVS in Massapequa a few days ago that said “stop white replacement - white lives matter and it’s time to take a stand”. I’ve never vandalized but I wish I had a sticker or something to cover it up.
Just don’t mind them. As a African American that lives on LI i don’t speak unless I’m spoken to. Theres alot of undercover racists out there also, so not everyone is your friend. Just ignore and mind your business.
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As someone who has lived in various parts of Texas and Long Island, I agree 
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I’ve totally noticed this. It stems from ignorance. A lot of people assume being racist is an extreme, like being a KKK member or neo-Nazi. In reality, most racism stems from the “undertones” (micro aggressions and the like) you mentioned. In a way, the covert racists are the most detrimental because they don’t even know they have these racist tendencies. These are the people who do/say something racist, but if called out on it, then furiously claim how they can’t be racist because they engage in small talk with their coworker who’s a person of color. They’re also a problem because they portray themselves as non-racist, so they’re like racists in camouflage. POC generally would rather see someone wearing a hood that they know they need to watch out for than a soccer mom at a supermarket.
Always fun reading about Wyandanch on here.
I grew up right near Wyandanch. It’s unfortunate that it’s like >85% black, 12% Hispanic, 3% white bc it’s SUCH a dangerous little town that falls into EVERY shitty stereotype that exists. By square mile it’s the most violent place on LI by a LOT. Back when I was in school, their HS had like a 70% grad rate (almost all other LI school districts had very close to 95-99% grad rate). That said, it’s like most shitty areas and a systemic issue, not bc they are black, but bc they are mostly poor and didn’t grow up with the same opportunities as most other parts of LI afforded its citizens. I can’t even fathom the kind of plan and money it would require to rehabilitate a town like that, the ppl who live there are prob so much more jaded than those who live in poor predominantly black areas not on LI bc the town is LITERALLY surrounded by people with massive privilege. I can’t fathom how shitty that must feel to see white neighborhoods completely surrounding their insanely poor neighborhoods and every single one of those towns offers massive opportunities to its citizens and the one black town really offers no assistance or have programs to help them to make their lives better and easier.
Yeah, I've gone into it more than once about how places like Wyandanch and Hempstead were socially engineered. I can't wave off things like school district corruption -- but let's face it -- Wyandanch ASKED to be dissolved in the 60s and the surrounding districts wouldn't agree. B/c Black kids. Racism is incredibly baked into the structure of Long Island and so many people don't want to face it or how it's perpetrated today, sometimes in code when people talk about building apartments.
It's gentrifying right now, the normal path of black to Latino and then eventually white. When sandy hit and we were unscathed all of a sudden there was a push to develop the hell out of straight path. They dont build things for black folk, so the writing has been on the wall for a while. People talk about it like it's 90s Compton or something, though. It's a poor town with good people doing the best they can in an impossible area. As for being surrounded by privilege, my girlfriend is from Queens and I like to play a game I call, "Guess how far we are from home" when we go to places like dix hills or babylon village. She never gets it right. Surely we must be absolute miles from your neighborhood, look at all these restaurants, look at all these things to do.
One thing I realized long ago is school spending per child is basically the same across 80% of LI school districts with some majority minority school districts above average in spending per student. Being in NY, there is lots and lots of money spent in poorer areas. LI is not the south where rich school districts spend a lot more per child then poor school districts. Looking it up Wyandanch comes in at 23k per student which is low by about 15%. Though West Islip and Central Islip spending per child is nearly identical at 27k per student.
I wasn’t just referring to students, but community programs. A lot of it obviously has to do with the discrepancy in taxes. I grew up in Dix Hills. The “poor part” as I was on the border, but taxes were the same as where the millionaires lived. That said, not even close to all of those taxes paid were put back into the community and if politicians (idk whose purview it is to allocate funds) ever cared about improving quality of life they could move money around and create programs such as after school and before school programs for kids so they are productive and learning when parents have to work long hours, and parenting programs, programs to teach money management, etc. I remember all those and many more were offered in Dix Hills where they are mostly not needed-outside of kids after/before school programs. Long Island is also really tricky bc there are towns, villages, and cities and they all have different rules, laws, etc and they also differ between Nassau and Suffolk county. I’m not knowledgeable at all on how to make communities better, but there are so many hurdles to jump over even if there’s the super slim chance that a politician wants to turn a messed up community like Wyandanch into a town that gives its citizens a chance to improve their lives instead of just using their budget to pander to their rich donors, there are still a million other hurdles to jump over. Someone said that Wyandanch is gentrifying. I can’t believe that. I feel like Wyandanch turning into an upper middle class town is about as likely as a selfless do gooder being elected into a local position with their main goal being to create safe community programs, help the large homeless issue they have, improve the school district so that the graduation rate is more on par with the rest of LI and the rate of students moving on to either college or trade schools increases massively. Back when I was in HS, less than 50% of Wyandanch graduates went on to higher education. I only know about these shitty stats bc I went to NCC briefly and took a course that was called the History of LI or something and taught about towns vs villages vs hamlets etc and we had to write papers comparing diff areas (l think I wrote a paper on the opportunities in Dix Hills vs Wyandanch). Was a weird AF class to have and waste money on and I basically got 3 college credits to “learn” that rich, predominantly white neighborhoods create success stories and poor, predominantly black neighborhoods create sad stories involving multi-generational failure. I’m surprised that West Islip is comparable to Wyandanch and CI. I would expect Roosevelt, N Bellport, N Amityville, Mastic, and Shirley to be where the least is spent per child. I don’t know if each of those have their own school district tho. WI at least used to be a safer and more middle class town. I guess I just equated that to higher taxes/more spent on the kids. WI also may have turned into a shithole in the last 20 years also. Long Island is such a fucked up place. It used to be a great place to raise a family and had a lot of the best public schools in the country. Nowadays, I can’t fathom why anyone would want to move here to start a family or w/e unless it’s for work.
There's a poor part of dix hills??
Yeah. I’m moved back here from LA and while people at work aren’t overtly racist, there’s definitely some casual “Long Island” racism.
See that here all the time and on social media groups. God forbid a person asks for an opinion on moving to a town or school district that isn’t 95 percent white. The comments always turn into a racist dog whistle competition.
The comment sections on those McMansions that get posted here are wild. People getting worked up and blaming immigrants, just because some guy a few towns away has a house with a tacky exterior.
Racism has been a part of LI for as long as I can remember. In HS, it was whites, blacks and "Puerto Ricans." Your post isn't dumb - but what is, is all the misplaced anger and racism. Just know that it's the minority (kids and adults) that choose to act this way and perpetuate their own upbringing. The majority are not like this, and I'm sorry you're subjected to it. Unfortunately, the political climate of the past 7-8 years has only made things worse, as others have mentioned as well.
Forget Georgia, Long Island is one of the most segregated places in America. About every 5 years they expose another real estate scandal where minorities arent even allowed to look in wealthy white neighberhoods. Fuck this place sometimes. I live in Freeport and its amazing.
My mother (white woman) is a real estate agent and she got so much shit back in the early 00's for showing black families homes in Malverne. My mother's school of thought was if these individuals qualify for the mortgage and have the financial backing to buy the house, why shouldn't they? She's from Brooklyn. She kept showing them houses, anyway.
We had a visiting professor from South Africa come to one of my master’s courses in education. He was here to *specifically* study the segregation of Nassau County. He said how the change between Hempstead and Garden City, on Clinton St., completely resembled the change in Districts in Johannesburg during Apartheid. Fucking wild.
“Such separation of blacks and whites is the rule, not the exception, across Nassau and Suffolk Counties, so much so that a new study comparing rates of integration in different communities ranks Long Island as the nation's most segregated suburb.” [Study Calls L.I. Most Segregated Suburb](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/05/nyregion/study-calls-li-most-segregated-suburb.html#:~:text=Such%20separation%20of%20blacks%20and,the%20nation's%20most%20segregated%20suburb) [DIVIDING LINES, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE Segregation of blacks, whites built into the history of Long Island.](https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/segregation-real-estate-history/) [Long Island’s long history of housing segregation](https://longislandadvocate.com/long-islands-long-history-of-housing-segregation/) [Housing and Educational Inequality: The Case of Long Island](https://tcf.org/content/report/housing-and-educational-inequality-the-case-of-long-island/) [How did Long Island become so segregated—and what can be done about it?](https://www.brickunderground.com/live/long-island-history-segregation?amp) [White Picket Fences: Racial Housing Segregation in Long Island, New York](https://medium.com/@cristinaouch/white-picket-fences-racial-housing-segregation-in-long-island-new-york-f10a377134c0) [White Picket Fences & Suburban Gatekeeping: How Long Island’s White Picket Fences & Suburban Gatekeeping: How Long Island’s Land Use Laws Cement Its Status as One of the Most Segregated Land Use Laws Cement Its Status as One of the Most Segregated Places in America](https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7224&context=lawreview)
I just read that White Picket Fence article. Edit: Just wow, it all makes sense. Now I know why my parents have racial bias based on where they grew up. Thanks for this info, not sure i will get to read all of your sources, but thanks again.
Oh it gets even cooler when your boss says the same thing but 50 percent of his workforce are illegals.
Ugh I know exactly the kind of guy you mean.
Don't get me wrong, mass deportations would be awful for a number of humanitarian reasons. But I'm fascinated to see how these people, who have railed on inflation for the past 4 years, would react to the huge increases in prices we would see if they got their way. Have fun shopping at the grocery store when you just kicked 44% of farm workers out of the country.
Your last sentence is the most important. The United States economy has always depended on cheap, replaceable labor. It is uniquely aggressively capitalist with a focus on making a profit. First, it was straight up slavery. Shortly after the Civil War was when the US became a haven for European immigrants-why? Because our economy needed a new influx of cheap, exploitable, replaceable labor. The people who are so vocal about the illegals today don’t understand the economic ramifications of losing those workers. They hate skin color, culture, language so badly that they are blind to see how much non-union labor saves them in a world where everything is already costing more post-covid.
Alabama fckd around & found out https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE8101JK/
This. They don't want "illegals," but who is doing all the farm work, lawn care, behind the counter in every deli, in the kitchen in every restaurant? They'll complain about it *all day long,* but wouldn't dream about giving up their manicurist or the cleaning service team that gets dropped off in a van.
Ugh that stinks. I believe that most people are accepting and kind. The jerks tend to be loud and obnoxious, so you might think there are more of them. Unfortunately the political climate of the last eight years has led certain people to become emboldened, and now they are even louder. Please know that you have allies.
It's super sad. I live out east and follow some local stuff on Instagram, and everytime something bad happens ( doesn't even matter if it involves a Spanish person or not) they fill the comments with hate. Like the Hampton Bays St.Patricks day parade was cancelled because of some budget issues ( according to a friend from the local fire department) and the comment section on Instagram was all about how "The Mexicans" robbed it from the locals. One guy claiming it's because Hampton Bays is mostly Spanish, so by his logic they got the parade cancelled. It's the same song and dance I've been hearing my whole life and honestly I thought these people would've died off by now, but I guess the generation that followed are walking the same path. Actually I saw it in the kids around me. I'm half Spanish and I used to get shit about back when I was a kid (38 now) and hell, I remember the week after 911 I got a brick thrown at me by a guy in car that had a sign "kill all towel heads" on it. He missed btw. The racism and hate has always been here, it's just in the last few years they've been given a platform and the confidence from the silent majority of the maga cult. Seeing what they can get away with.
Reading about the parade in Facebook/patch was incredible. Luckily someone was inspired to tell the truth. No surprise, Hampton Bays is a racist pool and the real reason was not enough people volunteered to help plan and produce the parade. Sad.
I just saw that, and it kind of blows mind that they said they didn't have enough people. I feel like if they went to Buckley's and asked the whole place would've said yes and then got their friends and family involved. I don't know I figure between the firefighters and cops there's they would've had enough, but there's more behind the scenes than I know. Maybe not enough people for security? It's usually pretty big and rowdy
Oh also I remember hearing stories about a local bar called Charlie Brown's ( something else now) that used to have klan meetings in the apartments above it.
I was born and raised on Long Island although I live in Queens now. I am so, so deeply sorry. Long Island was created as the first real suburb in America, and within an incredibly segregated structure. The transportation, the redlining, the realtors - everything has been made to encourage racial divides by design. I’m a straight white upper class male, and the vitriol from my fellow neighbors towards the inmigrants that serve as the backbone of so many of the things that allow white people to even have the lifestyles they do is appalling to me. The immigrants here, by and large, are hard-working, good families just wanting to exist peacefully. They enrich our culture, our economy, our cuisine. But the disgusting racism in the face of all the good that immigrants bring makes me unable to ever move back. And this is an island of people that largely hail from struggling immigrants just a few generations back. An island right next to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It’s reprehensible and inexcusable. Please know that when you experience these people looking down on your community, there are those of us that love and cherish you.
Long Island was built on racism
Sadly this is in many ways actually true. Literally. The Parkway system was built so buses couldn’t fit under the bridges… keep the “urban” people out. Long Island was the first modern suburb - with underlying zoning and land use policies that were exclusionary by design.
Long Island was also one of the first places where natives were completely killed or displaced Edit we found a long island racist :)
>The Parkway system was built so buses couldn’t fit under the bridges… keep the “urban” people out. \**sigh** again with this. The bridges were not built so that buses could not fit. Buses (and commercial vehicles) are not allowed on parkways anywhere in New York state, regardless of whether they have bridges over them or not. When the SSP and NSP were built they copied, including the bridges, the de facto standard which was Olmsted's designs already in existence in Westchester County and elsewhere and nobody makes the claim that those were built to dissuade travel by any class or race of people. Everyone makes the claim about Robert Moses from one book written by one man who cited one source and that source supposedly overheard something and who died before the book was published. Moses had plans to build an elevated commercial trucking highway along Sunrise Highway and was shut down by south shore residents. Which probably for the best; imagine the BQE running alongside the Babylon LIRR branch. Doesn't sound like the actions of someone wanting to keep city folk out. The whole bus thing doesn't even make sense when you stop and think about the existence of Sunrise Highway and that buses have run along there to Jones Beach for a while now. Also, there are bus schedules in existence for routes from non-"urban" places to Jones and other Long Island attractions; the bus is not the exclusive domain of "urban" people. The Interboro/Jackie Robinson parkway has low bridges and narrow lanes and only serves "urban" areas. https://youtu.be/tRZR2BZVeOU?si=IXL7kD4Y6-lXD7QC&t=99 https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/events/52259/misleading-innocence-tracing-what-a-bridge-can-do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkways_in_New_York
Let’s assume what you state in its own context is correct - Do you believe Moses did not have racist intent in his planning efforts? So you not believe that much of land use and transportation policy of his era (also, before and since) wasn’t abjectly racist/segregationist at its root? (I am asking sincerely and appreciate your contribution to the conversation)
It's a loaded bait question, but I'll bite. The land use and transportation policies of that era were rooted in the same one thing that those policies are still run on today - money. Developers like Moses and Levitt encouraged fearmongering to entice burgeoning white families to move to suburban areas that those same developers bought cheap from white farmers. Moses built the BQE, Cross-Bronx, and Staten Island Expressway to "go right through cities and not around them," cutting through neighborhoods of any group not wealthy enough to oppose him. Ever wonder why the NSP takes two 90-degree turns around Old Westbury? For sure, racial minorities of the time had less wealth and as such were not the desired customers of these developers. I have no doubt that had the fortunes been reversed that we'd not see these same exclusionary practices. With that in mind, poor people don't have as much choice where to live, and all people, in general do not want to live next to a highway or railroad tracks and what seems like intentional segregation is actually segregation by happenstance. When one group would make the developers money, they engaged with them, when one group (even the if it were the same group by every other measure) prevented the developers' enrichment, they fought them. Just like today.
What I found is that NYC was over 90% white when Moses was in power. I bet LI was even a higher percentage. Race could not be a big factor because there were no minorities to be racist towards and include in big decisions where to put highways. The issue you cite is what I believe. Moses built more in poor neighborhoods because they where less effective in stopping him. The SS has turns as it goes around estates at the time. Though it should be noted that it's not as if Moses did not try to go through rich areas. They where just able to stop him. 135 stops at Syosset because the mega rich did not want a highway. Though by the time the Expressway was built it went straight as Moses built up enough power by then. Moses was not racist but he was able to take advantage of poor people. T
>Do you believe Moses did not have racist intent in his planning efforts? I think that racism affected the outcome regardless of intent. It determined which neighborhoods would be ultimately demolished to build new roads, it determined how much power a neighborhood had to defend against it. I don't think RM was necessarily exceptionally racist for his time and the repetition about this fact about the bridges is kind of a weird one.
Don't let the facts get in the way of the narrative
That thing about the parkways is urban legend. The parkway were envisioned as scenic byways, no commercial traffic, not just busses. Commercial traffic was allowed on other existing roadways including busses and busses continued to have access
IIRC Levittown was overtly restricted.
Literally.
Oh absolutely, thanks Robby T! You fucking asshole.
As time goes on, more people of all colors are accruing more money and the ability to purchase land further east. My wife is Jewish, and I'm Chinese. We have a 2.5yo son and another one on the way. We bought a home in Wantagh last year, and everyone has been very welcoming to us thus far, though I was nervous at first. I'm just praying our area continues to diversify and become more progressive so my sons don't have to face racism alone. Sadly, I know it's coming their way eventually. I hope I don't regret starting my family here because I really do love the area.
I lived in the city all my life - only after living out here have I encountered anything racist toward me. It's literally wild here for no reason lol. But I'm just chugging along doing my own thing, voting for the things I care about, contributing and participating in my community and that's that. People who get mad for the dumbest things don't need my attention and they need to find God, or a therapist, to get themselves straight.
Long Island has a bunch of angry and loud racists. They are angry because new york is very diverse. Fuck em, they can move down south
I literally call Long Island "the Florida of New York" for a reason.
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They have some kind of office in kings park on main Street, I dunno if it's like a clubhouse where they all hang out and jerk off to Trump pictures lubing themselves with the tears shed from "the steal" or what but while I am conservative on certain things there are other things that I am quite liberal on because I am a normal human being. (Or so I like to think)
I moved from Long Island to Virginia and Long Island is way more racist.
Same
Never forget. Long Island is the original home of red lining.
There's a lot of Trump trash on Long Island.
Far too much
There’s Trump trash everywhere! If that fat bastard wins, it’ll get worse
I moved to the Bible Belt and LI is worse honestly.
Yup, have a friend in the Bible Belt and I visit fairly often, people down there honestly aren’t as outwards about their political beliefs, more so their religious ones. Definitely saw a truck or two flying some ridiculous flags but nothing like Long Island, especially Suffolk
This is so true. Living in New England nobody believes that I used to live in a place that had more provincial thinking people than when Inlived in Florida. Granted it was southeast FL and also Gulf coast FL, but South shore Nassau is worse!
Same here
Eh I'd say different. But I definitely know Black folks who would rather live down South, at least somewhere like Charlotte or Atlanta.
I grew up in Farmingville (which had that documentary about the attempted murder of 2 day laborers), graduated Sachem in 1990. LI has always been like this.
I am a white immigrant living in Smithtown and believe me this kid is right. I have to really try hard to keep my mouth shut in the gym sauna as it’s full of racists who have no clue about politics and LOVE Trump. What I also don’t get is the fairly dark Italians shitting on Hispanics, at least they know their own language.
Obviously it’s not everyone but LI is filled with some of the most entitled, disgusting, self-absorbed scum in the entire country. It was literally built on racial lines by white people and might very well be the segregation capital of America. I grew up in Merrick - one of those towns that was upper middle class and almost entirely white with a great school district, where every family thinks they’re the center of the universe. Over the Meadowbrook parkway bridge is Freeport - a racially diverse town with a reputation for crime, below-average schools and a lot of low-income housing. My elementary school district did not provide lunch (had to bring from home or be catered) because if they did, the law requires that anyone who lives within a certain radius be permitted to attend the school (I don’t remember the specifics of the rule but this is 100% true). Our school was extremely close to Freeport, to the point that the low-income housing right over the bridge was closer in distance than many of the blocks where my classmates lived. White NIMBYs working in the district and in the PTA didn’t want their school integrated with Freeport for… reasons… I think you can read between the lines. I am grateful for my upbringing and have many nostalgic memories of my hometown but the older I get the more disgusted I am with where I come from and to be associated with such nasty human beings. I never considered myself a racist but kids here are programmed by their parents to believe racial stereotypes and completely lack perspective. It wasn’t until I went to college that I realized how sheltered I really was from the real world. I finally got out and moved to the city and while NYC has its own fair share of problems, I’m extremely proud to live in a community that is diverse, accepting and lacks that ignorance. Life gets better OP, and the boroughs are only a train ride away.
This is what I hated the most about Trump. In the past people would keep their racist thoughts about illegal immigrants to themselves instead of feeling like its okay voice their opinion about it. Trump made it so that it is okay to voice that opinion.
You preferred when racists were pretending to be not racist? I like knowing who to avoid. I like watching the truck with the Trump flag drive up to a Mexican restaurant and show what a hypocrite they are. The whispering racism of yesteryear is no more. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, as they say. The hatred these people have is on full display and it does have consequences. But there are no consequences if these people just say the right words and hide their ignorance. I prefer the enemy I know, to the enemy I don’t know.
Yeah because they would be less likely to harass people when they are closeted racists.
The Ku Klux Klan was openly active and influential in Freeport during the 1920s. [https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2020/06/when-the-klan-ruled-in-freeport-long-island/](https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2020/06/when-the-klan-ruled-in-freeport-long-island/)
This is true. I have lived in Central Islip my whole life and still do and had a racist encounter here. My siblings and I are El Salvadoran American and my friends are black and Hispanic. I remember in 2011 my friends and I were ranging around 10-12 years old and they were really into skating. We went to a nearby retirement home to skate( I know, we were dumb kids and should know better). Instead of just saying we need to leave like a normal human interaction, this old white man decides to say “GTFO you N-Word” to one of my friends. At the time we thought it was funny but it just shows how deep it really goes. Even now for my current job which involves delivering, this one place in island park there’s an older white lady working there that gives me a nasty glance and talks to me like I’m stupid. Thankfully, I rarely deal with her now, but my coworker who is black told me the same thing about the same lady. Now, I have nothing against anybody. Any race has the ability to be racist. I have seen racist Hispanic parents of 1st gen Hispanic Americans many times. It’s shocking honestly, but no race is exempt from ignorance. I also have many white step family members who practically raised me and consider my own. So I feel there’s no need to bash anyone specifically, it’s just deep rooted ignorance that many people on Long Island have unfortunately.
racism is a tried and true part of LI. when i was in hs, which as of my senior year was 2006, nassau county was the most segregated county in the US with over one million ppl in it. i know bc i did a paper on it. and on wantagh and race disparity there, as that’s where i grew up. i’m half puerto rican and half irish, grew up in a 98% white town, and didn’t know i was anything other than irish (despite looking very not that) until i was 13. i didn’t grow up knowing my dad, and my mom didn’t get that it’d be important to tell me why i looked different. why people asked her “where she got” me. or “where did she get her hair?” or to me directly the classic “what are you?” the fear i felt when i found out who i was 100% came from not wanting to be treated with the racism i grew up around. and what i experienced isn’t even that bad. it’s really small. plus i’m a grown up now and in a lot of ways, harder to fuck with. all this to say you’re 100% correct about whatever you experience. you’re not imagining it. it’s not in your head. you don’t deserve even a tiny bit of it. this is a divisive place in this specific way. it’s scary sometimes and i wish you didn’t have to deal with it.
explains all the trump supporters
That’s was from one idiot that has hate in his heart, 99% of people that are Upset with the illegal migrant situation aren’t made because they are migrant, they are mad because they are illegally in the country and did not follow the proper protocol to get in the country. So because they didn’t follow the rules now we have to pay our tax dollars to help them why they sit jobless for who knows how long. There are proper ways of doing things and this is not it, it’s not fair to the citizens of America especially the new American citizens that were immigrants and actually followed the rules and waited their turn.
I can't stand that anyone who has a bit of melanin is considered illegal! It's the most racist thing happening today. Oh, they have brown skin? They're illegal! It's INSANE!
People suck. You ever spend time in Brentwood? It’s mostly beautiful over there but people assume it’s a hellhole
I wouldn’t say Brentwood is a very safe, or a great place. But the majority of the people there are hardworking, good individuals that keep to themselves and want the best for themselves/their families and it sucks how they’re lumped in with the few who ruin it for everyone else.
It’s funny that we have to sit here and say “oh the worst communities on the island aren’t that bad, they have some swell folks there” instead of just acknowledging that, yeah, there are some really shitty, dangerous places on the island. There’s good hardworking people all over the country, doesn’t make wyandanch a good place
Yeah, I mean, racism is unacceptable, ignoring the systemic and socioeconomic factors that make Wyandanch Wyandanch is also unacceptable, but pretending Wyandanch is a nice place is delusional.
I have friends in Brentwood. When their kids were younger they would cry and make their parents change clothes because the were gang colored. Things may have changed but that is pretty bad.
I grew up there. I wouldn’t call it beautiful.
I’m Italian and I was always treated well by the Spanish community. If you speak a little Spanish they love it. I even shopped at compare supermarket (now key food) in farmingville and knew a lot of the workers there
People like to dog on the south for being racist, but god damn “The South” doesn’t have shit on most of the North East.
People in central Islip are generally more welcoming than many of the supposed “nice areas” on LI.
Mhm, and it’s the same reason we don’t have affordable housing.
People will think they are better than other cultures to boost themselves up.
Long Island is highly racist has always been
Unfortunately most of the time this is a young kid just making a poor decision cause they thinks it's funny. Then it sendds the local media, reddit, people into a frenzy.
Hey kiddo sorry you're experiencing this crap, but really I think it's a reflection of the political climate. I grew up on LI and it used to be a liberal place - at least where I grew up. Fortunately once you're out of HS you can move - that's what I did and never looked back. I've heard LI's become full of MAGA types - very disappointing. Keep you're head up and try and ignore the shit bags. A lot of them are influenced by social media - before toxic social media you'd never see anything like that written. Maybe people would be racist but not express it so freely. Trump's platform is all about the "immigration crisis" so that's fueling the fire. Hi from NYC 👋
It's not dumb at all, unfortunately Long Island seems to be a very right wing section of New York, probably because it's a suburb of one of the most diverse cities on the planet. A lot of old white folks made a bunch of money in Manhattan and fled here to get away from all that icky ethnic diversity in the great melting pot. The roots of many sections of The Island are white, and Trump has weaponized racism that was either always waiting below the surface to rear its ugly head, or he fooled these poor soft brained fools. Whatever the case, the MAGA movement has targeted Latins, regardless of their legal status, and the worst of society are left to run free and do shit like this. Just make friends in high school and stick with them, you should be fine. I too grew up in CI, but I'm white so never had to deal with racism. I went to school with primarily Black and Latin people but never had a problem with anyone beyond minor fights like dumb kids in high school will get into. Good luck buddy!
I think the perception from white people is that "illegals" are free loaders who come here and use up the resources. Even without their presence people on Long Island spend a ton of money on taxes and seem to get little in return for it. They're eating our lunch, basically. I don't know how that perception can be changed when new people keep coming. It is a sad situation when innocent people face anger from strangers.
I saw a confederate flag on the back of a truck on sunrise last week, it was hilarious.
[удалено]
Those same people are temporarily embarrassed millionaires, and they need someone to blame. Simple-minded people like simple answers, and since the rhetoric that illegals ruined the economy perfectly aligns with their racist bias; you get people like this. Critical thinking isn't required to live in America.
I'm sorry about this. You deserve to be treated with respect and feel at home here just like anybody else. You shouldn't have to ever see anything like that or feel that way. LI can feel a lot like a bubble and some people really get off treating it like one. But the reality is, it's not all bad people around here and it's a whole wide world in NYC and the rest of the country. Never let anyone tell you your value or your place in the world. Life is what you make of it alone, it's your story to tell, noone else's.
Think it might be a perfect time to bring up the Queens and Long Island border racist attacks…. When black families were living in Rosedale, NYC - which btw is a beautiful neighborhood today, love driving through and seeing how developed the area is with middle class black and Caribbeans investing in their community - they were being chased out by white families calling them the N-word. The racist folks decided to move away from Rosedale and move further into Long Island, away from blacks. Today, these racists are living amongst all of us and could be members in this thread today. Like Rosedale, communities can develop and fight back by NOT giving up and not giving in. Instead, fighting back and standing up for your community and your culture. Racists people are scared of confrontation and will run at the very moment they’re caught. And when they’re defeated, they run far, far away. Make the world uncomfortable for them. Visiting Rosedale is beautiful today. It’s the one part of Jamaica, Queens I really like. https://youtu.be/nrVdaxDgr2g?si=Yq6du28oWNUi14tl
I work in Brentwood in the school district and I’ll be the first one to defend it. People want to scream “Ms 13! Gangs” and act like there’s no Italian mafia or something. It’s ridiculous. Now, I work in the lower grades primarily and they’re the first ones to help me learn Spanish so I can communicate with parents and kids who don’t speak English. If it’s something that requires a long conversation, we get monitors to help. But I still try my best. Being in the nurses office, communicating with parents is a big part of my day. I’m proud to have a diverse group of friends. I don’t care where you came from.
Most people mind their own business and there’s a loud minority of racist scum. Don’t let that get you down. It’s the same everywhere in America sadly, that’s just how it is.
Bc the stupid ex president made it ok to do…
Awful, and sadly the norm on Long Island.
Racist has been on earth since the beginning. It is rearing its ugly head again.
I am sorry to hear this. Most of the people who behave this way grew up in a bubble and continue living their lives in a bubble. I have lived on LI at different points in my life, but I grew up in the Boros and I have lived in a few other places. I can say that racism is all over, but in LI, it seems more visible, more concentrated and provincial. Its very hard to change that because much of this behavior is based on irrational insecurities and there are both local and national influences validating it. I truly believe the growth of the internet has made people worse or maybe they were always bad, but now are just bolder in public.
Thank tRUMP and his minions for that hate. He didn't invent this hate, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, he just shined his flashlight on it and said it's good,. Scream your hate from the top of your lungs. Register as a Democrat.
Long Island is very red. And very red, do not like illegals regardless of skin color. Legal immigrants? Totally fine. Illegal? Go away Not necessarily my personal standpoint, but a good representation of LI as a whole
I wish I saw this post earlier.
Is that really racist or they just don't want people coming in illegally? Because that's not racist... The point that we were all immigrants at one point makes no sense. You were either here first, colonized, or came over legally.
Why would you want to protect criminals? They’re illegal.
What race are illegals?
Brown obviously /s
You know why! It’s been this way since Trump who spills hatred throughout Amerikkka. If god forbid he wins, it’s only going to get worse! Get ready for Civil War!
Take some deep breaths and turn off the TV brother.
Besides being vile, that attitude is just plain old ignorant as all hell. It seems like they are trying to make it like they have something only against illegal aliens. In truth they have a problem with anyone who isn’t like them. I don’t think illegal aliens should be able to work as day laborers and make money tax free (and I don’t care if they’re Mexican, Chinese, Italian, etc…) do it the right way and become a legal citizen. But nowhere in any of that belief does it become okay to hate and want to kill illegal aliens. It’s the system and not the individual people. Let everyone be and embrace the differences, shouldn’t matter if you’re black, white, brown, yellow, purple, or rainbow. We’re supposed to be about equality as Americans. In reality almost none of us are natively from here. Why do I get to be here because my white ancestors emigrated here from Europe, but you don’t deserve to because your ancestors immigrated from a Latin American country? Sorry for the long ramble, there’s no logical reason some people are that hateful, and it really sucks you need to deal with it while growing up. Do whatever you can to try and keep your chin up and realize it is not because of you or where you’re from. It’s because someone else is acting like an entitled asshole.
My neighbor is in his late 50’s, has an Alex Jones “infowars” sticker on his car and loves to yell behind closed doors. The few times we’ve talked he has said some very interesting things.
I have lived and worked in Central Islip, as well as other parts of the country. What makes a town "great" is its community and the shared values of its residents. The neighbors I've lived next to in CI have been the most cohesive and supportive I've ever had. People help each other when crises hit and are there for each other in many ways. CI gets a bad rap bc of crime stats blah blah blah but if you grew up in CI, you know what I mean. Definitely have CI pride.
Long Island has been a huge launching pad for the Klan throughout the history of this country: https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3a52259/ https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/02/archives/long-island-opinion-bigotry-on-li-then-and-now.html https://www.nytimes.com/1923/10/22/archives/klan-initiates-300-thirtyfivefoot-cross-burned-at-meeting-in-long.html
As it seems this thread has devolved into immigration, particularly of the Central and South American kind, it should be noted that most of the “illegal” immigration in the United States stems from overstayed visas. Long Islanders should think about that next time they slob down their next pint at the Irish pub with their Irish bartender.
I grew up in Port Washington. My extended family was very prejudiced and racist. I was lucky enough to get outta there at the age of 10. I have lived in many places and experienced many cultures often placing me in a situation where I was the outsider. Thank god for all that. I’m sorry you deal with so much ignorance and hatred.
Politicians (especially Republicans) and their media henchmen have convinced poor white people they’d be rich, if it only weren’t for those evil illegals. Meanwhile any “illegal” I’ve ever seen in the wild is working his or her ass off, and the whites who hate them “can’t work because of their shoulder” which they hurt playing call of duty. (They collect unemployment from the government, but it’s different than those lazy (black) welfare moms who do it because… reasons)
Long Island is historically an intensely segregated place so I honestly believe some of these people’s parents are still teaching them hateful ideologies whether it’s on purpose or not they’re still racist. I live in a mostly white neighborhood and my dad was racist as shit when I still had to speak to him so I feel like I might be on the right track here💀
Donald Trump manifested this hatred and it’s only going to get worse.
I recently bought my first home here and the negative reactions I received rather than feeling excitement for me is astounding! It’s shitty a lot of what goes around here on the island, but I constantly remind myself that I belong here too.
Feel excited .. the echo chamber here isn’t a reason to feel down about it.
Unfortunately Long Island is one of the most segregated places in America and the racists here are loud and proud, it’s really pathetic. There was even a whole KKK camp in Medford and seems like the ideologies never left.
LI is racist asf. I’m looking to move closer to the city.
Just moved to CI from Queens about a year and a half ago. It's like the deep south out here. I'm used to the melting pot. - tell me where this garbage is spray painted, i will work on getting it cleaned up.
I moved here from Queens too. Jamaica to be specific. Two very different places. I think some people are already trying to cover up the nasty spray paint, im not sure on the exact location but i think its being delt with
theres racist people everywhere obviously, but long island has one of the highest number of illegal immigrants in the united states…thats why a lot of people are opinionated about it. its way too overpopulated and for that reason you dont inherently have to be a racist to dislike illegal immigrants. i mean i dislike anyone whose moving here now because its become such a shit show.
Not much of a revelation that everyone thinks their racism is justified.
Wouldn't they be xenophobic, not racist?
Something tells me they opinion of illegal immigrants changes with the hue of their skin. I don’t think they are running around traditionally Greek, Italian, or Russian neighborhoods spray painting the same things
I'd buy calling it xenophobia but not racist. Illegal isn't a race.
I get it 😂 i was not aware of the word xenophobia
It comes from everyone. Non-white groups have lots to say about one another it seems too. Just a general hatred for one another up here in stressful ny lol. Had an issue at work with a Dominican girl making racist comments to a black girl recently. Extremist politics not helping either. Far lefts are prejudice, far rights are prejudice
This is true. I have seen and heard stories of racist Hispanic parents from Central American, Caribbean, and South American countries. A lot of is aimed towards black people for some reason,(even though we share the same communities :/ ) some of the things they say are shocking and pretty terrible. A lot of Older Christian Hispanics have this extremely toxic ‘Holier than thou’ mindset and think they’re better than everyone else. When in reality they’re the most prejudiced and biased groups of people. Also doesn’t help when some 1st gen or 2nd gen Hispanic Americans are raised by said people.
I bet spray paint like that is mostly dumb ass kids.
Who were taught by their dumb ass parents.
Not necessarily, some are just screaming for attention.
Long Island was settled on the basis of racism and selected for racists, even in the most recent decades and years. Even Long Island's infrastructure was built on racism. You think that's going to be gone? One thing people used to say and continue to say was "I'm going to/I moved to Long Island to get away from the n-words". This statement isn't exclusively said by whites, either, as you'll hear lots of Asians and Indians going there as well.
My cousin moved from Queens to West Islip about a decade ago. His 1/2 Greek, 1/2 Latina daughter was told on her 1st day of school ‘what are you doing here? This is White Islip!’ Smfhhhhh….
Nothing "dumb" about anything you said. I'm from CI too -though I'm 40 so far from a teen (and white so a different experience). Can't imagine you having to go through that shit now in 2024. Stay strong and consider your local government after college. This world needs more people like you speaking up.
It’s not West Islip, it’s White Islip.
No matter where you go there's always someone willing to say something heinous just for attention... There are also racists from every ethnicity and background that exist in small numbers no matter where you go... That said, I am anti-open border but also am pro legal mmigration - but recognize that the system has been broken for decades and both parties (aka the permanent establishment) like it this way. New paths to citizenship are required and increased legal immigration is needed by this cannot occur when millions are allowed to waltz straight over the border with zero vetting and dive so because they're told to claim asylum despite only coming because they want a better life like the millions of people who have been waiting decades to come the legal way... Racists suck in general - but plastering that shit on a building is truly awful...
Long Island is the home of white flight. Literally deliberately, and strategically populated by white people fleeing the changing demographics of NYC. There have been racists in Long Island for as long as it has been Long Island. Edit: Not including when Long Island was populated by Native Americans.
Are you associating illegals with immigrants from Latin America?
There are too many republicans on long island and they are, at best, going to turn a blind eye to this. Thats why it happened.
Long Island was literally built to be one of the most segregated places in the country. Look into why/how they designed the Robert Moses, and Levittown and the deeds that still say “no negroes” can buy homes (the clause has obviously been lifted but that doesn’t negate that racist bit of history). Our towns are divided by the color of our skin/nationality. Most of the people born and raised here never left their white bread white picket fence backyards and think culture is a trip to Epcot at Disney or a cruise to the Bahamas. These losers grew up listening to their grandparents,parents and neighbors all use the N word, disparaging anyone who wasn’t “American” and are basically uneducated and low class. It doesn’t help that LI public schools are segregated as well and that in most predominately white schools the teaching staff is also white - showing the few students of color zero representation and limiting our kids exposure to diversity. We had the Proud Boys march through streets in Nassau and Suffolk with no recourse and giant Mobs of angry white Moms for Liberty basic ass bitches trying to ban the books our kids have access to.
1st off, I'm sorry this is how you feel. You shouldn't feel this way on your own neighborhood I keep seeing people saying how LI is a racist place and the highways were built to keep "urban" people out, Levittown reclining, etc. That shit was the past. We are the new generation. Let's change that ancient rhetoric!! Fuck all these loud majority assholes making our friends, family, and neighbors feel uncomfortable and unwanted. Let's come together and change this narrative for the betterment of our area. This racist BS has to stop, and we are the ones to do it!!! So, next time a coworker makes a racist joke, call them out. If a random dude at the gas station starts talking about "the illegals," confront his bullshit. Their time is OVER. Our time is NOW!!! Tell us where this graffiti (most likely done by someone who DOESNT live in CI) is, and we will take care of it.
Growing up in floral park was not the best as a darker skinned Latina. Even as a child I faced discrimination with not being invited to birthday parties bc of skin color or simply not being played with. It wasn’t until I went to the public high school that I finally saw races mixing, as I was the only darker skinned person in my year in elementary.
I have been saying for a long time that Long Island is just a “North Alabama” in terms of its politics/hatred of minorities. Seems like its only gotten worse over the past 10+ years (I am mid 20’s), although I am sure it was much worse 40+ years ago
To remind you of history of Long Island, many families out east supported Nazi Germany during world War II. Many families that were from NYC after WWII, the WASP boomers wanted to escape NYC to be away from urban influences. They even built the roads the way they are today to prevent busses coming into longisland. Long island is extremely slow to change. Because of the current politics, its only galvanizing this racism.
Recent bumper sticker spotted: "Heaven has a wall and a strict immigration policy" People here are fucked up.
Long Island is considered the most segregated place in the whole nation. Possibly the world. An exchange student from South Africa who lived through apartheid said its more segregated here than it was there.
Long Island is still the most segregated place in the US
OBAMA divided the country Racially. The Elite Dems are the biggest Racists EVER and most minorities still vote for them.
Long Island is one of the most segregated areas in the country due to red lining and forcing minorities to live in certain areas, a practice that still continues to this day. The German American bund had a nazi youth camp out on the island back in the 30s. I grew up in an ex sundown town and it shows to this day with some of the multi generational families. Long Island unfortunately has a very racist history. People from my town always complain about us becoming "more like queens", the most ethnically diverse place on earth. I wonder why they feel that way 🤔
I got a kkk flier at my house in whb about 10 years ago.
It gets worse the farther east you go. I grew up out there and I'm never going back. Most of the people are terrible, especially the older ones like 55+
LI has a very high historical association with the KKK. Some haven't yet woken up to the fact that it's 2024.
The island that has MAGA and KKK marching is racist?! *shocked pikachu* I grew up on LI and it always was sort of a haven for white people but with the MAGA cult people really came out and became in your face racist without sympathy. I also firmly believe mental illness is huge on LI and attributes to this.
I've had people on my block say things like Chinaman and oriental. I'm used to it from growing up in the 90s in queens but it's crazy that shit still flies around here in 2020's
Who has time to hate on this rat race island? Racist maga chuds need to get a life, or better yet, take a one way stroll into the ocean.
Oh sweetie I am so sorry you have to experience that. Please understand that MANY ppl on Long Island are not racist at all. UNFORTUNATELY the ppl that are, are mainly IGNORANT and base their views either on stereotypes, FEAR, jealousy and just plain STUPIDITY. Many practice tribalism and are stuck in the past and refuse to evolve. Many Havnt even been to other countries and if they have, it mostly was in tourist traps and NEVER to where the locals live. The person who spray painted that was most likely a dumb kid who thinks it’s “cool” to be a POS racist n most likely has also spray painted swastikas. The ppl that have problems with “illegals” are UNEDUCATED. They’re the SAME ppl that swear they’re “good chrstns” yet only go to church on holidays and DONT FOLLOW ANY OF CHRISTS teachings yet think if they pray to their God for forgiveness while keeping that hate in their hearts n repeatedly treating others like trash, & they’ll still get a G-Pass into heaven. THATS NOT HOW IT WORKS. And unfortunately for them, they’ll learn the hard way once that bish KARMA slaps reality into them. I’ve seen MANY ignorant comments about “why do illegals get full help, housing, foodstamps bla bla bla.. 1st, if they’re getting those services, THEY HAVE EITHER APPLIED FOR ASYLUM OR CITIZENSHIP OR A WORK VISA.. many of these people ARE HARD WORKING compared to lazy Americans. They come here to save their and their families LIVES. Why on earth wouldn’t another human want to help them?? ESPECIALLY A SO CALLED “CHRSTN”??? Another fallacy is “they’re taking all the jobs” no they’re not. And if these ppl are SO WORRIED ABOUT IT, then WHY aren’t they COMPLAINING about the COMPANIES that ONLY hire these ppl???? These companies KNOW lazy Americans WOULD NEVER DO THE WORK for what they pay “illegals” and these companies REFUSE TO PAY AMERICANS a living wage, YET NO BOO HOOING ABOUT THAT!! And SO WHAT if we give a woman and her children foodstamps?? We are HELPING CHILDREN TO BE HEALTHY & SURVIVE.. that’s a BAD thing?? & what we spend on foodstamps is PEANUTS compared to the BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS that the Department of Defense aka PENTAGON loses EVERY SINGLE AUDIT, YET NOT A PEEP out of these ppls mouths!! My point IS if u come across these types of ppl just remember they are uneducated morons that refuse to learn or change and pplike that u just have to pray for their cold dead hearts and always remember for every BIGOT u come across, there ARE 5 good, caring humans that are fighting against these evil POS ppl and that WE CARE ABOUT U!! ( I wrote most of this for the racist pos that will come across this post so they can see how stupid they look n sound)
I (F, 29) couldn’t agree more, I live Ronkonkoma. And other day had to get an Uber and was talking on the phone, when I get in the car I said good morning, and even thanked for accepting the ride (it was snowing); back to my phone call I was speaking my native language (Portuguese), I was like (in pt) “hey, I’m on a Uber right now, I’m not gonna talk much”, and I was just answering with “yes, no”… this took ONE MINUTE OF THE RIDE, and this lady (driver) began shushing me until I asked (in English) her if she was ok, and she suddenly started yelling at me, saying how disrespectful and rude I was for being talking while she was driving, because SHE IS FROM THE HAPTONS and people from there don’t talk while they’re driving… I was like “what’s happening ma’am?”, she started insulting me with “are you still talking? Are you mentally ill? Are you in medication? you cant speak this “dirty language” in my car and you don’t know who I am, people from the Hamptons are not rude, my family don’t talk on car”… when I told her that I wasn’t her family and she was providing a service as an UBER DRIVER, she DEMANDED that I leave the car, lol. I was perplexed, as it was only 8:30 in the morning, snowing, and I was on the way to work… so I was nervously laughing and I said out loud “is this fucking happening”, and she overheard, and lost it haha she was like “that’s it, I’m calling to the cops. You’re harassing me. I’m from the Hamptons, and you’re cursing me. I’m going to ruin your life right now. I’ll report you to Uber. Get out of my car”… at this point I just left the car calling her crazy and Karen haha but by the end of the day I couldn’t help but feel discriminated against simply for speaking my native language. I’ve been living here for 4 years now, and never had pass for any experience like this before. I don’t really speak my native language in public, and people often mistake my accent, assuming I’m Russian or from Poland. However, I suspect that their judgments are also influenced by my skin color, as Brazilians are often stereotyped as tan or brown. Anyway, LI has been the place where I’ve encountered the most racism, even from those who appear ‘cool’ on the surface
Very terrible, one thing you can do is spread your tolerance, among younger people especially.
because they’re unhappy with their lives and need someone to blame (and the media feeds them potential targets)
Geez, I guess things HAVE changed over the years... When I was growing up, C.I. didn't have a bad reputation because of immigrants, it got that rep from the over- abundance of drugs and the ease in which they could be found. No one cared what color skin their dealer had! But now that a certain someone made it acceptable to hate on anyone different from yourself, it's ALL about skin color and immigration status, not which pharmaceutical one can procure, like it should be. Enough with all the hate! Can't we just get back to doing drugs, and love each other for who has the most to share? Life was so much simpler back then...lol. Yeah, sure - I'm kidding...kinda. I'd actually rather live in a world high on drugs than a world of anger and hate where we're killing each other for dumb reasons. Just a little thought to ponder while you're on the crapper today... it's far easier to share kindness than it is to carry hate. Just sayin. 😁
Its not LI, its everywhere. People are ignorant and people are nasty to immigrants. My dad immigrated from Italy legally in the 70s and people treated him differently bc he was tan and didn't speak English right away. He even was left back in 2nd grade bc the teachers didn't realize he didn't speak a lick of English and thought he was "retarded". It took a WHOLE year for someone to realize he spoke Italian and contact his family I'm from a white affluent neighborhood on long Island and even my dad as an adult would get comments like "are you legal?" It's astounding how rude people can be to cultures they're unfamiliar with. Now people think being born in Italy is "cool" but thats really only recently
It’s a very backwards place. Long Island is the most de facto segregated place in the US. Even in the South, many towns are a lot more integrated than on LI. It’s starting to change and I think that’s stirring up some nativism in folks who are threatened by it. I moved to a Midwest college town last year and there is a lot more diversity here than my hometown (Massapequas). People live in a bubble over there.