Riverhead debates mission of anti-bias task force after chairman's exit

Riverhead Town's Anti-Bias Task Force is reviewing what role it should play in the community after its chairman resigned after claiming the panel was discouraged from speaking out about hot-button issues including immigration enforcement.

Mark “MK” McLaughlin resigned as the task force's chairman in February. He has since called for Councilwoman Denise Merrifield to be replaced as the town's liaison to the panel, claiming she prevented the body from discussing community concerns about encounters with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. 

Merrifield strongly denies claims that she silenced the group, but McLaughlin's departure has exposed rifts over whether the task force should have a limited, advisory role to the town board or focus on anti-bias efforts, such as community education and outreach. 

Its responsibilities include identifying bias incidents and crafting "recommendations to eradicate various forms of social oppression," according to town documents. In 2021, the town board clamped down on the group's authority by requiring that recommendations for programs, funding requests, announcements and other initiatives be submitted in writing and approved by the board.

The panel is a volunteer, nonpartisan group tasked with tackling prejudice, according to its mission statement. The group meets monthly.

The East End is home to a large Hispanic population, where advocates say fear has spread after multiple people were swept up in immigration raids. Among Riverhead residents, approximately 19.5% are Hispanic or Latino, according to 2024 population estimates. Between the 2010 and 2020 census, Riverhead's Hispanic population rose 77%, Newsday previously reported.

ICE a heated topic

The group's policy has limited how effective the task force can be, according to McLaughlin and other members.

Roberto Ramos, a task force member, said he felt dismissed by Merrifield when attempting during task force meetings to address community concerns about ICE.

“It’s sad that we can’t discuss this in the task force, because we were told not to even bring it up,” Ramos said in an interview. “As a task force, we can do a lot better.”

McLaughlin also said he attempted to discuss proposed legislation by OLA of Eastern Long Island that seeks to address public safety concerns during federal immigration enforcement. He said he was shut down.

In a statement during a town board meeting earlier this month, Merrifield, a Republican and former Suffolk County prosecutor, said the task force is strictly advisory in nature and is unable to act without the town board's approval.

On immigration, Merrifield said the group was discussing whether to and how to respond to community concerns about ICE. 

“I advised the committee that deportation is not discrimination,” she said. She reiterated the town’s stance that its police officers would not interfere with federal actions.

Dispute over politics

Merrifield said McLaughlin tried to shift the task force's focus toward political advocacy. She said he tried to organize opposition to presidential executive orders aimed at ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well other issues. She said those topics fall outside the task force’s purview. McLaughlin denied asking the task force to participate in political rallies. 

“It was not created to be a political action committee,” Merrifield said.

The town board unanimously reappointed seven members to the task force at an April 7 meeting, though it's unclear who will lead the group.

At an anti-bias task force meeting Monday, the group agreed to form a nominating committee to decide the next chair before its May meeting. The panel is soliciting applications to fill eight vacancies.

Members also agreed to review the group's bylaws and potentially clarify its goals, role and direction.

Riverhead Supervisor Jerry Halpin, an independent who was elected last year on the Democratic line, said he does not plan to replace Merrifield as liaison. 

"I really want the town to grow through this," he said in an interview. "My goal is to work with the anti-bias task force and [Merrifield] to overcome any obstacles, and to make sure it's fulfilling its mission."

Range of views

Other task force members offered mixed views on the dispute but agreed the panel should continue to address a variety of topics.

Marjorie Acevedo, a member of the task force, said she'd like to return the focus to organizing preventive programs, including about hate crime awareness. She said the panel must remain neutral.

“If you look at our mission and what the town board charged us to do … sometimes we had to say no,” Acevedo, of Wading River, said in an interview, referring to various requests. 

“Basically what we’re there for is to advise and gear groups that are having problems toward the proper channels."

Connie Lassandro, another longtime member, said open dialogue is “healthy,” and the group can facilitate discussions about ICE and other topics without taking a political stance.

“Communities are strengthened when they confront difficult issues head on, not when they avoid them,” Lassandro said. “A task force that cannot speak, educate or engage proactively is not fulfilling its intended role."

Asked about the controversy, OLA executive director Minerva Perez said anti-bias groups should not be silenced or shy away from potentially uncomfortable topics.

“You want them to weigh in on things that matter in the town as a whole and then they make suggestions. They don’t push or tell the town what to do,” Perez said in an interview.

“If you're being told that you can't speak publicly on certain topics that you know are mattering most, or at least to a high degree, in your community … that’s not a functioning task force.”