Racist Killing in Bensonhurst
I’m a white, Catholic, Italian-American born and raised in Brooklyn, and I am now ashamed of my heritage. I can see no difference between the racist Italian-Americans of Bensonhurst and the Nazi Germans of the 1930s and ‘40s.
To read the excuses and rationalizations of neighborhood priests like Fermiglia is to understand the absence of moral and ethical values that have apparently bankrupted this pocket of hate. What kind of God do these people think will let them into heaven?
This is not an issue with a gray area. Some things are simply wrong and unacceptable. Racism and bigotry are chief among them. The people who perpetrate their fear and hatred for blacks, or any other group, are more than wrong--they are evil.
The time has come to stop trying to “understand” racism and prejudice. Racists have earned our vocal contempt and condemnation. To remain silent is as good as an endorsement for violence and hate.
JOE GALLIANI
Long Beach
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