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January 3-9, 2020
ALSO SERVING PROSPECT HEIGHTS, WINDSOR TERRACE, KENSINGTON, AND GOWANUS
String of
anti-Semitic
attacks plague
Brooklyn during
Hanukkah
BY BEN VERDE, KEVIN DUGGAN,
AND MARK HALLUM
The city is in a state of high
alert following a rash of violent
attacks against Jews during
Hanukkah in Brooklyn
and upstate.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
Sunday he will increase
the Police Department’s
presence in Orthodox Jewish
enclaves around the fi ve boroughs
and create local watch
groups to monitor areas and
protect residents from more
hate-fueled attacks.
“Fearing the next act of terror
will not become the new
normal for our Jewish neighbors.
In New York City, diversity
is our strength and we respect
the traditions of all who
call New York City home. Intolerance
will never take hold
here,” de Blasio said in a statement.
The Department will divert
more resources and patrols to
precincts in Borough Park,
Midwood, Crown Heights,
Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Williamsburg,
in addition to positioning
cops at houses of worship
during local events and
installing new light towers
A vandal scrawled the words “Bird God” onto the Soldiers and Sailors Arch at Grand Army Plaza on Sunday. Photo by Todd Maisel
Continued on page 10
ARCH VILLAIN CUFFED
BY GABE HERMAN
Police cuffed an alleged vandal for hijacking
a construction vehicle and spraying
graffi ti on the arch at Grand Army
Plaza on Sunday afternoon, according to
authorities.
The 36-year-old suspect allegedly used
an ill-gotten cherry picker to spray paint
“Bird God” onto the iconic Soldiers and
Sailors Memorial Arch at around noon,
cops said.
The vandal’s fun came to an end after
he found himself stuck in the crane, dozens
of feet above ground level in broad
daylight, police said.
Authorities do not know how the suspect
gained access to the crane, or the
meaning behind the graffi ti, cops said.
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