Anti-Bias Task Force ex-chair calls for liaison to step down, cites ‘culture of silence’

The former chairman of the Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force called on the Town Board liaison to step down, claiming a “culture of silence” has hampered the group’s work.

Mark “MK” McLaughlin, who resigned in February, spoke out at the end of last month about his decision, which followed a year of mounting issues and limited dialogue due to restrictions he felt were being placed on the group by Councilwoman Denise Merrifield, the current Town Board liaison for the Riverhead Anti-Bias Taskforce. Ms. Merrifield has served as the liaison since January 2025. 

At the center of the dispute is whether the Anti-Bias Task Force should take a proactive role in addressing prejudice through outreach and public engagement, or operate strictly as an advisory body to the Town Board.

“When I first joined the task force, I was excited to be a part of a team that was for the betterment of our town, for us to be the voice for the voiceless,” Mr. McLaughlin, who was appointed in September 2023, told the Riverhead News-Review in phone interview on April 6. “I just feel like my quality of life has been interrupted because I love being a community advocate, I love helping people, but when someone is making it difficult to do my job … that’s a problem for me.”

Ms. Merrifield pushed back on Mr. McLaughlin’s allegations that she silenced members at a Town Board work session on April 2.

“I have strived to help and support the residents of Suffolk County in particular, specifically here in the town of Riverhead, I sought to protect victims, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation,” she said. “In a nutshell, the former chairman did not want to teach and educate, he wanted to advocate without communication, and that is not the mission of the Anti-Bias Task Force.”

The Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force is a volunteer non-partisan group of “concerned citizens, government officials, representatives of law enforcement, education, and clergy” who work together to address intolerance and prejudice, according to the town’s website. Educational outreach, organizing hate crime seminars, workshops and collaborating with the local schools is also a big part of the group’s mission, Mr. McLaughlin said.

Mr. McLaughlin said the first rift came last May when East End Arts inquired whether the task force would support an LGBTQ+ performance at the Mosaic Festival.

He claimed the group was not given an opportunity to discuss or vote on the request, while Ms. Merrifield said the task force was “undecided.”

In another incident last June, Mr. McLaughlin said Hispanic community members and volunteer firefighters approached him with concerns about ICE activity, but he felt discouraged from bringing those issues to the task force.

He also attempted to initiate discussions around OLA Eastern Long Island’s recently proposed public safety legislation, which town officials are not considering.

“We missed the opportunity to have a conversation,” he said in the April 6 phone interview. “I’m not saying that we would have been able to fix it, but at least have the conversation, at least listen. It’s our job to listen.”

Ms. Merrifield said she advised the committee that “deportation is not discrimination” after reviewing then-Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard’s statement that the town would not interfere with federal immigration enforcement.

She further stated Mr. McLaughlin “wants the task force to be empowered to listen, respond and lead without limitation,” but that is not the role of town committees. She said the task force is made up of unelected volunteers who can only make recommendations to Town Board.

“It’s not about bias, not about prejudice, it’s not about silencing, it’s about power. Mr. Mark McLaughlin wants the Anti-Bias Task Force committee to be something that it is not,” Ms. Merrifield said. “All town committees, including the Anti-Bias Task Force, have no independent authority to act under the color of the town. All committees need Town Board approval for activities they seek on behalf of the town.” 

She also alleged Mr. McLaughlin resigned after being unable to “promote his political agenda,” a claim he called “inaccurate.” Specifically, she claimed he attempted to organize a “call to arms” protest against President Trump’s legislation putting an end to DEI.

He shared an email with the Riverhead News-Review that he sent to town officials in January 2025 about his initiative to develop a “Call to Unity” event, which was meant to bring the Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force, several other organizations, churches, and civic groups together to “share resources and engage in discussions.”

Separately, Butterfly Effect Project founder Tijuana Fulford said she was invited by the Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force to share the nonprofit’s experience and response to hateful social media attacks they experienced in February 2025. However, she left the meeting feeling dismissed not just by Ms. Merrifield, but by the entire committee.

Ms. Fulford said Friday, April 10, that she was disappointed the task force did not come to her defense and frustrated that renewed public attention is overshadowing the organization’s work.

“Denise Merrifield cannot operate by herself — I walked out of that room with a feeling for the Anti-Bias Task Force, with feeling a level of unprotectedness, [a] level of shrinkage. Those are all feelings I will never forget,” Ms. Fulford told the Riverhead News-Review. “At any moment, anyone could have said, ‘This is not right.’ People made conscious decisions not to do it.” 

Supervisor Jerry Halpin said he and Ms. Merrifield will be having further discussions with the task force.

“Our liaison will be staying put. I will be interacting with that group at their next meeting if I’m able to be there. We will be reviewing the mission of that group together, and we’ll be growing from this as a board, as a community, and together,” Mr. Halpin said. “With hurdles that we face, we’re overcomers.”