Someone peppered a Gerritsen Beach corner with swastikas — but no one in the secluded community seems to care, police sources say.
Cops confirmed that the 61st Precinct hasn’t received any complaints about the swastikas found on the bulkhead separating Devon Avenue from a small Plumb Beach Channel marina on Wednesday morning, so detectives are not looking for the vandal.
The swastikas — first reported by the blog gerritsenbeach.net — were spray-painted in white paint on a red background. The word “Hail” written above the Nazi party symbol, but it is unclear if the vandal was referring to the German salutation, which is spelled “Heil.”
The blog notes that several boats were broken into earlier in the week, but it remains unclear if the break-ins and the graffiti are connected.
“That area needs to be monitored more closely because in addition, the area is covered in graffiti and some of it is offensive,” the blog notes.
Since residents in Gerritsen Beach are predominately Irish and Italian, it’s unlikely that the vandal left the graffiti on the quiet street to frighten and outrage borough Jews, a police sources said, adding that if the vandalism is investigated, it won’t be considered a hate crime.
The graffiti was discovered just three weeks after someone painted the Nazi symbol outside a synagogue in nearby Marine Park.
Deputy Inspector George Mastrokostas didn’t address the vandalism at a special summer 61st Precinct Community Council meeting on Wednesday night, but Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein (DMidwood) said that all swastika sightings should be reported to the police immediately.
“I don’t know if they were targeting somebody, or if they though they could get away with it, but we have to be vigilant when these types of things happen,” Weinstein said.
