MAPLETON – TWO 15-YEAR-OLD BOYS were arrested on Thursday and charged with painting dozens of swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti onto playground equipment in Gravesend Park earlier this week, CBS News reports. The pair are facing charges of aggravated harassment and criminal mischief as a hate crime.
The playground was vandalized twice. Sixteen swastikas were discovered by nearby residents on Monday and were removed by Parks Department workers; on Wednesday morning, nearly 60 more were found. Parks crews again removed the paint, spending hours outside in the snow.
New City Council Speaker Julie Menin, the first Jewish woman to hold the position, visited the park on Thursday and called for anti-hate education: “When we hear about a young person painting 57 swastikas, then we need to make sure that the schools in New York City and the city government is doing its job to educate young people about hate.”
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