The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is once again investigating anti-Semitic vandalism, this time in the borough of Brooklyn. For the second time in three days, swastikas were scrawled where Jewish children play.
Read: Anti-Semitic Hate at a Queens, NY Schoolyard
Two swastikas were discovered overnight between Sunday and Monday morning, scrawled in black marker underneath a children’s slide at Brighton playground in the Brighton Beach neighborhood.
The neighborhood is an area with a large Jewish community, and a large population of Holocaust survivors.
New York City Councilman Chaim Deutsch, a former member of Flatbush Shomrim and a long-time community activist, wrote in a tweet, “Community leaders, constituents & local organizations have teamed up with me to offer a $20K reward for information leading to the arrest & conviction of the perpetrator.” He also thanked the local civil patrol in Flatbush (Flatbush Shomrim) and ERG Safety Patrol for distributing the reward notices at the local parks.
Community leaders, constituents, & local organizations have teamed up with me to offer a $20K reward for information leading to the arrest & conviction of the perpetrator.
TY & for distributing these notices at the park today. pic.twitter.com/YDSrUkZm8k
— Councilman Deutsch (@ChaimDeutsch)
“Are swastikas in playgrounds the new normal?,” Deutsch said in comments he wrote on Twitter. “Last night I was notified of swastikas on play equipment in Brighton Beach. I alerted @NYPD60Pct, who are investigating. Enough is enough. It’s way past time to #TakeAction. @NYCMayor- please implement Hate Crime Prevention Office!”
Swastikas found on playground here in Brighton Beach pic.twitter.com/Nuo1elqFCC
— glenn schuck (@glennschuck)
Governor Andrew Cuomo expressed outrage about the latest discovery. He also issued a statement about the vandalism, saying he was directing the state police hate crimes task force to assist NYPD with its investigation.
“Swastikas and other disgusting anti-Semitic messages have been found in a Brooklyn school yard, days after similarly heinous graffiti was discovered in a school yard in Queens,” Cuomo said. “Let me be very clear: in New York, we have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism and hate of any kind, and no student should ever feel discriminated against or threatened because of their religion or ethnic origin.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio, meanwhile, also wrote on Twitter, “This vile, anti-Semitic act is an attack on all of us,” and urged anyone with information to call police.
