Howard spoke briefly at the gathering, saying he was humiliated by the photo. He has since sought legal counsel at the law offices of Frederick K. Brewington in Hempstead.

Ira Fogelgaren, a lawyer at the firm who specializes in civil rights and employee discrimination, said he met with Howard shortly after the news conference. Explaining that he could not comment on the nature of their meeting and whether Howard would pursue immediate legal action, he said that he and Brewington would monitor the criminal and town investigations closely.

“We’re going to see where the prosecutor goes with this and what the town does for our client, and we’ll go from there,” he said. “We’re hoping that they do the right thing by him and that the case is prosecuted vigorously.”

Local leaders said they were not surprised by the incident, but they were appalled. Bea Bayley, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Lakeview branch, said that such incidents are common on Long Island. 

“There is a long history of cultural insensitivity here that we are working to extinguish,” she said. Mackey said at the news conference that racism could not be allowed in 2014.

Not the first time

The Town of Hempstead’s most recent racial incident is not the first time that lawyers from the law offices of Frederick K. Brewington have seen acts of racism committed at town facilities, according to Fogelgaren. 

In 2007, hangman’s nooses were discovered in a town sanitation garage, in addition to a county highway department facility and a construction site near the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream. Town officials noted, however, that there has not been an incident like this, in which an offensive posting allegedly targeted an individual.

Sensitivity training needed

Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, who is African-American, said she was offended and repulsed by the incident. She and Murray noted that, in an effort to end displays of ignorance and hatred, the town is mandating that the 25 employees at the Levittown facility undergo new diversity training in the near future.

“Employees must be sensitive to their colleagues at work and respectful of each other,” Goosby said. “Every worker needs to clearly understand that despicable actions like this are offensive and hurtful to others, and are entirely unacceptable.”