DC 37 participates in vigil and march against Bushwick bias attack

Representatives of District Council 37 AFSCME's Lesbian and Gay Issues Committee (LAGIC) and Latino Heritage Committee joined a multi-ethnic crowd of hundreds - including community residents and groups, labor-religious organizations, and elected officials - at a vigil and march against hate crime in Bushwick on Sunday, December 14.

The vigil and march were called after two Ecuadorian brothers, José and Romel Sucuzhanay, were beaten in Bushwick in the early hours of Dec. 7 as they walked home arm in arm from a neighborhood celebration. Their attackers shouted anti-gay and anti-immigrant epithets as they beat the brothers. José Sucuzhanay, 31, later died from his injuries.

Shown at the vigil are (from left) Judith Arroyo, a VP of DC 37, president of DC 37 Local 436, and chair of DC 37 LAGIC; Juan Fernández, president of DC 37 Local 154; and Santos Crespo, a VP of DC 37 and of Local 372 and chair of the DC 37 Latino Heritage Committee

District Council 37, with 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees, is the largest public employee union in New York City.