Residents found a large amount of anti-Semitic flyers around the Halsey Street L station on Wednesday evening of last week, on the border of Bushwick and Ridgewood around Wyckoff Ave. and Norman St.
“I was horrified to see something as vile as that on the streets of a NYC neighborhood and one that is up-and-coming and trendy for that matter… absolutely horrified,” said a Ridgewood resident, who preferred to stay anonymous. “I absolutely don’t feel safe knowing there is someone who felt comfortable enough in this neighborhood to spread this kind of hateful message around.”
This is the second anti-Semitic act of vandalism in the greater Ridgewood area in just over a month: In July, someone smeared a swastika in what appeared to be excrement, at a bus stop at Cypress Hills Street and Myrtle Avenue, as reported by QNS.
The homemade flyers had the phrase “worthless f*****g cancer filled Jew” imposed on a black and white image of a man wearing a kippah with the star of David on it.
A Ridgewood community group on Facebook is weary that these crimes may have been committed by the “Proud Boys,” a growing group of violent white supremacists. The photo on the flyer is assumed to have been originally from a Breitbart article.
Another hate crime was registered on a public art display in Bushwick at 348 Troutman St. on Thursday. Swastikas were sprayed over an anti-bullying mural.
Police notified the Hate Crimes Task Force about the incident. The investigation is ongoing, as reported by QNS.
“It’s sheer ignorance and hatred,” said the Ridgewood resident. “I do not know why they chose this neighborhood to leave these flyers in. The neighborhood is extremely diverse and home to a lot of marginalized people.”
Earlier this year, the Bushwick Chabad suffered a hate crime, as well. A rock was thrown at the synagogue’s front window, shattering it while Rabbi Menachem Heller, who founded the Chabad more than 10 years ago, was inside with his family and approximately 15 community members during Sabbath.
“It’s really upsetting and startling to see a swastika anywhere, especially in such a progressive neighborhood as Bushwick,” said a Bushwick witness. “It evokes a lot of emotion and trauma.”
If you have any additional information you can contact the Hate Crimes Task Force online or reach the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood.
Editor’s note: story was updated with witness quotes at 11:04 a.m.
Cover photo courtesy of Bushwick witness.
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