New York City Police Department (NYPD) officials announced on Jan. 8 that they are searching for two men who drew a swastika on a restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec. 22.
According to the New York Daily News, the suspects wrote “F— this place” and “F— this city” in addition to the swastika on Acapulco Deli and Restaurant. The local news site Gothamist describes Acapulco as “authentic Mexican cuisine at affordable prices compared to other places in the neighborhood.”
The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force released a video of the suspects:
NYPD data released on Jan. 2 stated that anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York City increased from 185 in 2018 to 229 in 2019, an increase of 24%.
Anti-Defamation League New York and New Jersey Regional Director Evan Bernstein said in a statement to the Journal, “Many people think that Swastika graffiti is not a big deal. Imagine if your place of business, your school, your home or your house of worship was targeted. These acts impact individuals and create fear. We must not let anti-Semitic graffiti continue to be normalized.”
