A crudely drawn swastika on the plywood of a vacant Brooklyn Heights storefront jolted residents on Friday and kicked off an NYPD hate-crime investigation. Neighbors say the symbol, roughly the size of a baseball and drawn in blue ink, appeared on plywood covering a Court Street storefront, unsettling locals already on edge amid a wave of antisemitic incidents across the city.
Local resident Joanne Wasserman told reporters she spotted the symbol, snapped a photo, and called 911. Two other women nearby also reacted and took their own pictures. When an NYPD officer arrived, the officer reportedly could not immediately find the graffiti, but police later confirmed the case has been referred to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force. Those on-the-ground details were reported by amNewYork.
NYPD statistics show a sharp January jump
Recent numbers from the NYPD show a steep rise in reported bias incidents. The department says its Hate Crimes Task Force investigated 58 bias incidents in January, compared with 23 in the same month a year earlier. Anti-Jewish hate crimes jumped 182 percent, from 11 to 31 cases, accounting for more than half of all reported hate crimes that month. Officials note the figures are preliminary and could be reclassified as investigations move forward. Those statistics appear in the NYPD’s January crime report, according to the NYPD.
Recent violent episodes have raised alarm
The Court Street incident comes on the heels of other high-profile antisemitic episodes this winter. In late January, a vehicle repeatedly rammed the doors of Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, an episode that was investigated as a possible hate crime. That kind of violent scene has only heightened anxiety in Brooklyn neighborhoods with sizable Jewish communities. CBS New York covered the Crown Heights attack and its aftermath earlier this year.
Councilmember Lincoln Restler, whose district includes Brooklyn Heights, told reporters he grew up a few blocks from the Court Street storefront and attends synagogue nearby. He called the recent pattern of antisemitic vandalism “alarming.” Restler’s office says it reached out to the city Sanitation Department to request that any visible graffiti be removed, noting that cleanup can be delayed when markings are on private storefronts or when they have already been scrubbed by the time crews arrive. Those comments and the cleanup request were shared with amNewYork, which first reported the Court Street case.
Legal angle
Under New York law, a crime can be charged as a hate crime if the perpetrator intentionally targets a person or property because of a protected characteristic, including religion. That designation can increase penalties for underlying offenses such as criminal mischief or aggravated harassment. Detectives and prosecutors must look for evidence of a bias motive before they can pursue hate-crime charges. The legal framework is spelled out in state hate-crime law, as described by the New York State Senate.
How to report and get help
Officials advise that anyone who encounters hate graffiti and believes a crime is underway should call 911 immediately. For situations that are not emergencies, New Yorkers can report incidents through 311 so city agencies can coordinate cleanup and follow-up. The city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes offers resources for victims and community organizations, and the state hotline at 1-888-392-3644, or by texting “HATE” to 81336, can take reports and tips. For more information and support, see the NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and New York State’s hate-crime reporting resources.
