Some neo-Nazi nogoodnik carved a swastika into the sidewalk on McDonald Avenue in Gravesend this week, but the city quickly removed the anti-Semitic symbol just a day after it was found.
A local passerby saw the hateful sign, about three-inches wide, etched into the cement between Avenue W and Village Road S on May 24 at about 5 pm, and notified the office of Councilman Mark Treyger (D–Gravesend), who called the Department of Transportation to remove it, according to the Gravesend pol.
With the rise of anti-Semitic hate crimes across the city, nothing should be taken lightly, said Treyger in a statement.
“As the grandson of Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans, I take incidents like this extremely seriously,” he said. “This type of act is not one to be taken lightly, especially at a time when our city works to be an inclusive safe haven for people of all backgrounds and denomination. Symbols of bigotry and hate have no place anywhere in our community, and I thank the Department of Transportation for acting quickly to remove the symbol. Most of all, I thank the constituent who noticed this disturbing image, and rather than simply ignoring it, took the time to notify our office.”
The Department of Transportation removed the swastika on May 25, said a spokeswoman for the agency.
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident, a police spokesman said.
