Local city and state electeds decried racism and hate Monday after several Chinese-owned businesses were vandalised with anti-Chinese graffiti in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood.
The racist graffiti was spray-painted using a stencil on the exterior of several business on and around 86th Street. The misogynistic wording of the graffiti was derogatory to both women and Chinese people, and was discovered in about a half-dozen places in the area.
“This assault on a building was also an assault on our community, and what we stand for, and what we represent,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said at a press conference on 86th Street. “We will not be silent, and we will ensure that anyone who’s involved should be held accountable.”
“With a stencil of this type, someone took their time to shape their racist thought. This is a premeditated action, and today we’re calling on the New York City Police department to investigate this as a hate crime,” Adams said, adding that he is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to an arrest and prosecution for the crime.
New York City Police Department Deputy Chief Charles Scholl from Patrol Borough Brooklyn South confirmed that the NYPD is investigating the graffiti as a hate crime, and is collecting video footage from businesses in the area.
Assembly Member William Colton (D-Bensonhurst, Bath Beach) said that this type of crime is rare in Bensonhurst.
“We’ve had individuals who have acted in a way that is racist and discriminatory, but we’ve never really had a perpetrator, someone who would go and paint hate signs on private property,” Colton said. “We will not tolerate people’s property being vandalized with hate symbols and hate words.”
Leading the crowd at the press conference in chanting “Stop the hate,” Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Gravesend) said he thought the graffiti is part of increasing racism across the nation.
“We’re seeing hate crimes rise not just across the borough but across the city and across the country,” Treyger said. “To me there is no surprise at the anti-immigrant, divisive rhetoric that we’re seeing across the country, and it’s hitting home.”
Nancy Tong, the 47th Democratic Assembly District Leader, and the only Chinese elected official of any kind in Brooklyn, said she found the graffiti disgusting and not in line with American values.
“Racism has no place in our community. Furthermore with the locations of the hate messages so close to the United Progressive Democratic Club, I think this is a personal insult to the community, the many Chinese American residents in the area, and to myself. The community and I will not stand for this. I will communicate with the 62nd precinct to make sure the graffiti is swiftly removed and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” she said.
