Anti-Semitic Stickers In Greenpoint Surface With Numbers 14 and 88
GREENPOINT – A series of anti-Semitic messages written on United States Postal Service mailing labels were discovered posted around the neighborhood Sunday morning.
According to Greenpointers.com, a couple discovered the labels on several lampposts along McGuinness Boulevard and removed them. Messages such as “Jews are poisoning our children,” “No more white guilt; rise up,” and “When the time comes, do not ask why. You know why,” were scrawled on the stickers along with swastikas, and the numbers 14 and 88. The number 14 refers to the 14-word slogan, “we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” and the number 88 refers to the Heil Hitler salute. You can view photos of the stickers at Greenpointers.
“This incident shows the connection between Nazism, which we all know is un-American, and White Nationalism, which a bunch of American politicians openly support,” District Leader Nick Rizzo said. “Please be alert to rising Far Right incitements: We cannot allow hate to gain strength in Brooklyn. Know that ’14 words’ and 88 (code for ‘Heil Hitler’) are both White Nationalist symbols.”
The NYPD says the labels were placed randomly across two blocks. There have been no arrests made at this time and the investigation is ongoing.
“We strongly condemn the virulently anti-Semitic, homophobic, and racist language that was inscribed on United States Postal Service stamps at lampposts and public spaces in multiple locations across north Greenpoint, including McGuinness Boulevard, Dupont Street, Eagle Street, and Freeman Street,” reads a joint statement released by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Council Member Stephen Levin, Assembly Member Joseph Lentol, State Senator Julia Salazar, and Representative Carolyn Maloney.
Anti-semitism has been on the rise this past year throughout the country. The deadliest act took place on October 27 when 11 Jewish people were shot and murdered in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The NY Times reported that anti-Semitic crimes rose by 22 percent in NYC. Brooklyn isn’t immune.
On November 3, a group of teenagers threw a metal pipe through the window of Synagogue Volkan near Myrtle and Franklin Avenues. They ran away only to stop a while later to knock off a Jewish boy’s black hat.
During the same month, two other teenagers were arrested after they drew multiple swastikas in chalk on porches and garages of homes in Brooklyn Heights. A few days later, a swastika was found inside Brighton Beach Library.
Also in November, a political event at Union Temple was canceled after anti-Semitic graffiti was found inside. The messages included “Hitler,” “Jew better be ready,” “End is now,” and “Die, Jew Rats, we are here.”
Last April in Crown Heights, a Jewish man’s nose was broken after he was punched in the face. A few days later, another man was choked, beaten, and called a “fake Jew” in the same neighborhood.
In May, a video of a Brooklyn man mocking a Hasidic boy’s hairstyle went viral on Twitter. The man could be heard saying, “I’d be crying if I looked like that, too, bro… that’s f–ked up what they be doing to you?”
“In response to this pattern of hate, we will be collaborating with a diverse range of community stakeholders across community-based organizations, houses of worship, and local businesses to bring residents of Greenpoint closer together,” the elected officials’ statement promises. “We cannot let this despicable act go unanswered, particularly as it is meant to intimidate members of our One Brooklyn family in a community that is made up of a diverse range of backgrounds from all walks of life.”
Anyone with any information regarding the Greenpoint anti-Semitic incident is urged to contact the NYPD by calling 800-577-TIPS.