Thompson unveils plan to combat hate crimes
Calling the statue of Brooklyn Dodgers immortal Jackie Robinson and teammate Pee Wee Reese “a symbol of racial tolerance and healing,” former comptroller Bill Thompson unveiled a three-point plan to combat hate crimes in the wake of the ugly graffiti incident involving the statue outside MCU Ballpark in Coney Island last week.
In a conference call with reporters on Aug. 12, Thompson, a Democratic mayoral candidate, said he was shocked by the racist and anti-Semitic graffiti a vandal left on the statue. The graffiti, which included a swastika and racist epithets, was discovered on Aug. 7 and has since been removed by cleaners. But the hate crime “shook our community and our city,” Thompson said. “This is unacceptable in the city I love,” he told reporters.
A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the graffiti.