Long Island Village Board Candidate Uses 'Racial Slur' During Call To Cops

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A woman running for a seat on the Southampton Village Board used a "racial slur" in a call to police last summer, according to a report by 27east.com.

According to the 27east.com article, written by Greg Wehner, Valerie Smith called police about a group of black men standing in front of her Hillcrest home, "drinking Hennessy," calling them "a bunch of n-----s."

Smith, the post said, confirmed that she made the call and said the words, after The Southampton Press received a copy of the recording via a Freedom of Information Law request.

She then said used the "n-word" during a call with the reporter, the post said, stating that she lives "in a black neighborhood. I came here and didn't see color." She added that she is a "pioneer," who transformed a "rodent-infested dump" and said she is the "only white person who owns and lives on this street," the 27east.com post said.

The story has sparked an outcry of rage and shocked disbelief on social media; the story has been picked up internationally.

Deeply rooted racism has long been an issue of concern on the East End.

Before a Black Lives Matter rally in July, 2016, some men and women spoke out about how racism has impacted their lives.

Vanessa Vascez-Corleone, 28, of Riverhead, who planned a peaceful demonstration in Riverhead, spoke candidly about the racism she's experienced on the East End since childhood.

"I've have a lot of experiences growing up with racism. The first time I was ever called 'n-----' I was in seventh grade," she said, using the full word so many find so offensive. "I had just moved to an all-white school in Connecticut. There was this girl who didn't like me, and I couldn't understand why."

"One day we got in an argument because she was mocking me in front of other people and being sarcastic. These kids were actually asking what I was, ethnically. I told them I was African American, Hispanic and Native American, and so she said, 'So you're a spicy, bean-loving corn n-----.' That was one of my first encounters."

In daily life Vascez-Corleone said prejudice isn't always overt and can rear itself through assumptions people may have about you because of your ethnicity.

Nick Lopez, 30, who lived in Riverhead but now resides in Brentwood, said as a Latino male, he's experienced discrimination subtly throughout his life.

"I've really noticed it as I've gotten older," he said. "I used to walk on Main Street in Riverhead; white folks would see me and cross to the other side. Ladies would grip their purses a little more tightly."

When he first moved to Riverhead from the Bronx, he said he was getting to know some of the kids in his class. There was another boy with the same name who was white, he said, and when Nick showed up at a party, he said it was clear the parents had meant to invite the other young man.

"The parents kicked me out, but not abruptly," Lopez said. They made all kinds of excuses as to why I couldn't be there. That was the first time a situation affected me and I was hurt by it."

And don't even get Lopez started on the many times he said he's been pulled over by police.

"I couldn't get in a car without them pulling me over, pulling me out of the car and searching me. It happened twice when I was with my father, and that was disrespectful to my father and left me feeling violated," he recalled.

And as he's gotten older, Lopez said he became more aware of what he believes is ingrained racism in daily interactions.

"It really affects you day to day, knowing that you can't go to a job interview because at first glance, you already know they're not going to hire you," Lopez said. "It's detrimental to your self-esteem."

But rather than let the experiences turn him bitter, Lopez said he's embraced events like the peaceful demonstrations to help raise awareness.

Long Island NAACP President Lucius Ware said last summer that he has "no doubt that racism, dangerous racism" is alive and flourishing today.

Ware has long spoken out about law enforcement on the East End, questioning taser practices and asking why, when officers are trained so well on how to use weapons, they are not similarly trained on "how not to use them."

Looking ahead, Ware said minority votes will gain even more critical importance and will "turn" elections, and said it's imperative to get out and vote.

Lopez said babies are not born "with that type of hatred. It's acquired over time, nature versus nurture. It's the environment around you that brings you up to feel that type of hatred."

Lopez, who has two sons — their mother is white — said he teaches his children "to love everyone equally."

Valerie Smith did not immediately return a request for comment.

To read the full story on 27east.com, click here.

Southampton Village Hall courtesy photo.

Valerie Smith photo via Facebook.