2 teenage boys were arrested after painting over 50 swastikas and other anti-semitic messages in Gravesend Park in southwest Brooklyn. The park is located in a predominantly Jewish area of the city.
Police officers arrived at the park on Monday evening after receiving a 911 call. They found more than 15 swastikas painted all over the slides, walls, and ground of the park. Employees from the city’s Parks Department quickly jumped into action, washing away and painting over the hate symbols.
The following Wednesday morning, police received another call. This time, officers found almost 60 more swastikas alongside wording, including the name “Adolf Hitler”. Painted in red, yellow, and blue, these symbols covered a large section of the park, including the sidewalks, handball courts, and other play equipment. Again, members of the Parks Department worked for hours to remove any trace of the graffiti.
The graffiti triggered a “hate crime probe”, and using security camera footage from outside the park, police officers were to identify the 2 suspects. Currently, there are no security cameras actually inside the park. But the recent vandalism, alongside an increase in drug use inside the park, has members of the community calling for some to be installed by the Parks Department.
The 2 suspect, both 15-year-old teenage boys, were charged with multiple aggravated harassment charges. One of the suspects, who police have identified as the “main graffiti artist”, was also charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime. Both teens have no criminal record and are being charged as juveniles. The police have stated they will not release their names because they are underage.
The antisemitic graffiti triggered public outrage, but local community members say that the events will not “stop them from visiting the park”.
Public officials have also commented on the situation. In a social media post, Governor Kathy Hochul called the vandalism “a depraved act of antisemitism.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated, “I am sickened by this antisemitic vandalism in Borough Park. Antisemitism has no place in our city, and I stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish New Yorkers who were targeted. My administration is working closely with the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force as well as our Parks Department, and those responsible will be investigated and held accountable”.
