NYC Playground Defaced With Swastikas

Source: Annalisa Cimmino / Getty

NYC Playground Defaced With Swastikas

Hate crimes are on the rise in America and the melting pot that is New York City is no exception.

Early this morning, Brooklyn councilman Chaim Deutsch hit Twitter to call attention to antisemitism occurring on a playground in the neighborhood of Brighton Beach (not pictured above).

“Are swastikas in playgrounds the new normal?” he tweeted with photos of the symbol drawn on a jungle gym. “Last night I was notified of swastikas on play equipment in Brighton Beach. Enough is enough. It’s way past time to take action.”

He also asked Mayor De Blasio to “implement a Hate Crime Prevention office.” From NYDailyNews:

“Deustch said the NYPD’s 60th Precinct is investigating, and noted the number of hate crimes across the city has jumped sharply during the first two months of 2019. ‘It’s been a very high increase,’ he said.”

“He called on Mayor de Blasio to create a hate crime prevention office. Deutsch is drafting a bill that would require all five district attorneys to report the motive in each hate crime. He is also planning a citywide rally involving teens speaking out about intolerance. ‘We have people who come from 150 different countries and we need to better understand each other’s culture,’ he said. ‘A lot more needs to be done. This is about teaching kids to respect each other.’”

According to the report, state police are also leading an investigation into swastikas and other anti-semitic symbols that were drawn at a Queens elementary school.

Photos of the defaced playground in Brooklyn on the flip.