Greenpoint Restaurant Vandalized with Swastikas
GREENPOINT — A Greenpoint restaurant was vandalized with swastikas and other obscene materials in December.
On Sunday, December 22, two men were caught on surveillance video spray-painting the front of Acapulco Deli & Restaurant at 1116 Manhattan Avenue, a Mexican joint, cops said. In addition to the swastika, another message was left, “F*ck this place and f*ck this city.”
The incident is being investigated as a hate crime, according to Detective Hubert Reyes of the NYPD. Brooklyn has been hit with a string of anti-Semitic crimes, that had skyrocketed by mid-2019, making up 60% of all hate crimes. Williamsburg and Crown Heights have seen a disproportionate number of these crimes. Last Sunday, thousands of New Yorkers came together to march in Solidarity with our Jewish communities.
The Detective told Bklyner that the graffiti was discovered at around 10:15 a.m. by a witness walking her dog near the location, who called the police. Once NYPD viewed the surveillance tape they determined that the incident took place at approximately 2:55 a.m. that day.
“[The graffiti] was offensive,” said Emily, an employee of the restaurant. “It was surprising, you know, during the holidays.”
Emily said she and other employees arrived at the restaurant on the morning of December 22 and discovered the vandalism. After viewing the surveillance tapes, she believes that the two men were attendees of an event next door at a metal bar and music venue, Saint Vitus, the night of the incident, and came from outside the neighborhood. She also said the concert-goers have been mostly nice and haven’t caused trouble in the past.
In an email to Bklyner, Assembly Member Joseph R. Lentol who represents North Brooklyn, stated,
“Greenpoint is a community that is welcoming and embraces diversity. There is zero-tolerance for acts of hate, hate speech, and symbols of hate. Anti-Semitism must be called out whenever and wherever it happens and in whatever form it takes place. We will not tolerate it and we will not look away. I will be reaching out to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force on this for follow-up. Acts of hate will be investigated and prosecuted vigorously. It is important that we stand together as a community to show that anti-Semitism is not welcome here or anywhere.”
The crime is still under investigation, video of suspects is below:
Anyone with information related to the identities of the individuals should call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477, or 1-888-577-4782 for Spanish. Tips can also be submitted to the CrimeStoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips.