‘We’re Not Racists’

Nearly 20 years after the bias attack that ended in the death of 23-year-old Michael Griffith and conferred upon Howard Beach the stigma of a racially-charged neighborhood, residents are reacting to last week’s bias incident and claiming that their community has come a long way.
“We’re really not racist,” said Robert Hickey, 21, a life-long resident of Howard Beach. “We have black families living here. I don’t think it’s a racially-charged neighborhood. People have changed a lot — for the better — in this neighborhood since 1986.”
The attack that prompted flashbacks of 1986 came last Wednesday as Glenn Moore, 22, was allegedly attacked by Nicholas “Fat Nick” Minucci, 19, and Anthony Ench, 21. A third suspect, Frank Agostini, 19, is implicated as the possible catalyst, as he allegedly told Minucci and Ench that he overheard a plot to rob him. Agostini, the son of an NYPD detective, is cooperating with police.
Moore’s stepfather, Thomas Eison, meanwhile, has condemned officials for not charging Agostini.
In response to the beating, political leaders, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, were quick to take action and proclaim that the city wouldn’t tolerate racial incidents.
“As elected officials, police officers, and most importantly as community members, [we must] make sure that everyone in this city understands that we will have no tolerance whatsoever for hate crimes against any group in this city,” said Bloomberg in a press conference immediately following the attack. “We have come a long ways in New York, and we are not going to let one incident begin to divide this city. We have accomplished too much to let that happen.”
The Reverend Al Sharpton, who was less than welcome in Howard Beach in 1986, led a motorcade through the neighborhood on July 4 that spanned the 10 blocks from Moore’s home to where the incident occurred.
Many in Howard Beach have denounced the attack, showing the change in the neighborhood’s climate. “I feel like the actions of Minucci were inappropriate,” said Joe Maltese, 34. “But they don’t reflect the neighborhood as a whole. Howard Beach is a quiet, residential area — a nice neighborhood.”
Statistics also reflect the rise in racial tolerance throughout the community. Officials from the 106th Precinct, which comprises Ozone Park and Howard Beach, say that the attack on Moore was the first hate crime of 2005; in 2004, there were five such incidents; in 2001, nine.
toni@queenscourier.com