Swastikas in Village
Four doors at The New School’s Kerrey Hall student residence hall atop the school’s University Center, at Fifth Ave. and E. 13th St., were vandalized with swastikas over the weekend. Then, on Tuesday, two more of the hateful symbols were found etched into an elevator door in state Senator Brad Hoylman’s Village apartment building.
In the first incident, Sam Lichtenstein, 20, who lives with two Jewish roommates in The New School dorm, told news outlets their door was among those targeted.
“We were definitely shocked that it happened at such a progressive school,” she told Gothamist.
According to the New York Post, a school security worker discovered the anti-Semitic symbols, inked in black marker, around 4:45 p.m. Saturday.
“We believe it was someone doing this to be funny or as a joke. But it’s not a joke and we are taking it very seriously,” Lichenstein told the Post.
Sunday morning, David Van Zandt, The New School’s president, sent out an e-mail reassuring the school community.
“We do not accept this illegal, inflammatory and hurtful influence on our campus,” he said. “The New York Police Department is actively investigating the situation and we are cooperating fully with them. Any attempt to discriminate, instill fear in or intimidate our students will result in serious and swift consequences both from the N.Y.P.D. and The New School.
“The New School is a diverse community comprised of a mixture of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual or gender identity and political beliefs,” Van Zandt said. “This is not what we as a community stand for, nor is it something we will tolerate.”
In the second incident, Hoylman said the pair of hate symbols were found by a neighbor etched into the paint on a service-elevator door in his apartment building at 30 Fifth Ave. near Washington Square Park. The Police Department’s Hate Crimes Unit is investigating.
“This comes three days after swastikas were drawn on the doors at The New School,” Hoylman said on Facebook. “Meanwhile, Stephen Bannon, an anti-Semitic white nationalist has been named as the senior strategist to President-elect Donald J. Trump. Connect the dots.”
Hoylman’s husband and daughter are Jewish and he follows the faith. He said he does not believe the swastikas were targeting his family. More than 100 people live in the building.
Hoylman told The Villager, “Hate crimes are on the rise since the election. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate violence, more than 300 incidents have been reported since last Tuesday across the country. Sadly, Greenwich Village isn’t immune. The Sixth Precinct has reported two incidents after the election, in addition to the one in my building.
“Everyone must sound the alarm about hate crimes and not normalize them,” Hoylman said. “It isn’t normal for a major presidential candidate to openly court racist elements in our society during an election, and then after he’s won, appoint a known white nationalist and anti-Semite to a top White House post. Donald Trump claims he wants to unite this country. If so, Trump must disavow Stephen Bannon and the alt-right movement and rescind this appointment.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his support of the Village politician: “@BradHoylman, millions of New Yorkers stand with you tonight against anti-Semitism. Hate has no place in NYC. #NotInOurCity .”
The Daily News repoted it’s unclear when the swastikas were carved: They may have been there awhile covered with a coat of green paint, according to a police source.
Bank teller busted
A man did not win employee of the month at the Bank of America branch at 36 E. 14th St. On Tues., Oct. 25, at 10 a.m., a bank employee told police that another employee stole around $10,000 from the teller box that he was solely in charge of. The missing money was discovered during an audit of the cash box. The man in question told police that he accidentally gave the money to a customer during a transaction. But this was disproved by surveillance video from the bank.
Police arrested Alan M. Fernandez for felony grand larceny.
Snatcher gets smoked
A woman experienced a new negative side effect from smoking. On Sun., Nov. 13, at 10:17 p.m., she had her purse in her hand as she was getting a cigarette on the northeast corner of Grove and Bleecker Sts. Police said a man snatched her purse and fled on foot. A canvass was conducted and the man was found with the woman’s purse in his possession.
Billy Toohey, 33, was arrested for felony grand larceny.
Scarf swipers
The Burberry Store at 367 Bleecker St. was nearly fleeced — of scarves — on Wed., Oct. 7, around 4 p.m., according to police. They said that a man and a woman entered the store and removed a total of seven scarves from the shelves valued at $3,815 for the lot and placed them into a personal bag. When confronted, the man verbally threatened the storeowner that he would shoot him with pepper spray and then fled.
Indigo Darby, 19, was arrested at the scene for felony grand larceny. A month later, on Nov. 9, police arrested Rashien Smith, 22, for felony grand larceny.
— Lincoln Anderson
and Emily Siegel
