Swastika Drawn on the Shore Road Bike Path
An incorrectly drawn swastika appeared on the Shore Road Bike path earlier today. There were some numbers next to the swatika. A resident reported it and it was removed.
Immediately, Senator Andrew Gournardes and Councilman Brannan issued the statement above. While both politicians had a busy Saturday, they still took the time to speak out about hate.
Although this did not happen in Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus’ district, she did speak out against the hate and explain why communities need to be united against the hate. I appreciate that Dr. Frontus took the time to do this.
Some people want to ignore this and not give attention to the graffitti. But this is not just graffitti – this is hate looking for a home in our community. If it is ignored, those who did it think people support it and it empowers them. The numbers with the swastika might suggest that this is an older teen or adults so the message has to be clear to this person.
Nicole Malliotakis is the NY Assembly woman in charge of the Shore Road bike path area. She didn’t make a statement because she no longer has an office here and isn’t connected to this community. After someone on her team sees this, she may issue a statement.
Congressman Rose also spoke out against the hate:
We believe that it was done by a teen because of the backwards symbol. Dear teen: Don’t make this a habit because soon you will be caught. Although your parents forgot to tell you this is a crime and things like this are taken a lot more seriously now than they were years ago. This past November, teens in Brooklyn were arrested for this – see here
It’s harder to be a parent now because there are all these discussions you have to have with a teenager who doesn’t want to hear anything other than the word ‘YES’ and your wallet opening.
Hugs,
marlene
Topics: Bay Ridge | No Comments »