More hate graffiti found at NCC’s Garden City campus, cops say
A view of Nassau Community College in Garden City on April 13, 2016. Credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
More hate graffiti was discovered Friday night at Nassau Community College — hours after police officials held a news conference to calm fears about a series of incidents at the school.
A student discovered anti-Semitic graffiti in a men’s bathroom in an E Cluster building shortly after 8 p.m. and notified a security guard, Nassau police said Saturday.
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More hate graffiti was discovered Friday night at Nassau Community College — hours after police officials held a news conference to calm fears about a series of incidents at the school.
A student discovered anti-Semitic graffiti in a men’s bathroom in an E Cluster building shortly after 8 p.m. and notified a security guard, Nassau police said Saturday.
A number of swastikas and the words “Germany” and “Heil Hitler” were scrawled in black marker, according to police.
It was the fifth reported bias crime at the campus in recent weeks.
Police said swastikas were drawn in men’s bathrooms and a stairwell in several buildings on Oct. 15, Oct. 28, Oct. 29 and Dec. 7.
In another Friday incident, officers were called to Bobwhite Lane in Hicksville, where a woman’s car was vandalized.
The 28-year-old woman told police she parked her car in front of her home Thursday evening and returned the following afternoon to find the windshield and taillights broken. The words “Trump” and “Islam” were etched on the car.
Police said more than $3,000 in damage was done to the vehicle. Further details were not released.
At the Friday news conference, Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun sought to allay public concern over the hate graffiti, pointing to statistics showing that the overall number of reported bias crimes is down countywide.
LeBrun said 49 bias crimes had been reported this year, compared to 62 last year. Police also said they suspect the NCC graffiti is the work of one “misguided” individual.
But James Vagnini, a Garden City civil rights attorney, disputed the police statistics, saying many incidents are going unreported because victims are fearful.
“Numbers are numbers, and reality is reality,” Vagnini said Saturday.
A police spokesman did not have any further comment on the latest incidents.
The Anti-Defamation League has condemned the graffiti at the college.
“Institutions of learning must be a safe space for all students,” Evan R. Bernstein, the ADL’s New York regional director, said in a statement Friday. “No one should ever be subjected to such hateful anti-Semitic imagery or be made to feel vulnerable on campus.”
Those with information about any of the incidents are asked to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-8477. All callers will remain anonymous.
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