UpdatedMon, Feb 22, 2021 at 12:02 pm ET
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The existing Islip council districts were created as part of a lawsuit settlement. (Islip NAACP)
A proposed district map, from the Islip NAACP, attempts to reverse what activists say is gerrymandering of hamlets. (Islip NAACP)
ISLIP, NY The settlement of a federal lawsuit brought against Islip Town by minority leaders raises new concerns about gerrymandering, local activist groups say. The lawsuit, settled in October, asked for the creation of council districts for local elections, allowing minority-heavy hamlets to have Latino representation impossible under the previous at-large system. But a coalition of progressive groups met last week for a Town of Islip Re-Districting Online Forum & Press Conference, discussing what they say is the cracking of Central Islip, dividing, they say, the area s Black vote. Under the new map, Central Islip is divided between three of the four new council districts.