Brooklyn man faces four hate crime charges



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James Polite, 26, has been charged with four counts of fourth degree mischief, hate crime and graffiti.

Graffiti was discovered Thursday night on four floors of the Union Temple in Brooklyn. Some of them said "Hitler", "Jews would be better off" and "Jewish rats are here," the New York Police Department said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio attended the Shabbat celebration at the temple on Friday night as a sign of solidarity.

After the service, he told reporters that the incident was a horrible act of hate and "deeply troubling for all New Yorkers".

"But it's especially painful for members of the Jewish community who feel very vulnerable right now, who feel attacked," Blasio said.

The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, said that he led the investigation unit on crimes motivated by hate of the state.

"The disgusting rhetoric and heinous violence in this country have reached their peak and are tearing America apart, and that must stop," he said. "In New York, we have forged a community through standardization agreements and we will always oppose hatred and discrimination."

Polite was taken after being arrested to a hospital for assessment, Lieutenant Paul Ng said. The suspect did not appear in court.

The suspect had problems, says the mentor

The former president of New York City Council, Christine Quinn, said she knew the suspect. According to the New York Times profile made last year on Polite, he had done an internship at Quinn when she was a board member.

She tweeted that she and other people had been trying to help her as he was going through the foster care and mental health systems and that he was fighting against the family. ; homelessness.

"The deeds of which he is accused break my heart and devastate us all who have tried to help him stay strong over the years." And even though he has experienced hardships that most people do not can imagine, his actions are inexcusable "wrote.

The Times reports that Polite worked for Quinn on initiatives to combat hate crimes, domestic violence and sexual assault.

The article says that Polite has named her adoptive parents, Jenny Levison and Josh Waletzky, her second parents.

Other cities have seen anti-Semitic acts this week

Swastikas have appeared in at least a handful of American cities since the Pittsburgh Massacre in which 11 worshipers were killed.

On Wednesday morning, a New York City resident posted photos of swastikas scribbled in homes in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood.

Antisemitic incidents increased by nearly 60% in 2017

Nazi symbols also appeared on Navy property this week in Bucks County, near Philadelphia. Warminster Township Director Gregg Schuster reported online that local officials had been in contact with the Navy for the removal of the symbols.

"The use of the swastika is a cowardly act," he said. "In light of what our neighbors in Pittsburgh have recently experienced, I hope we will be able to refrain from using these symbols of hatred." This repugnant act has no place in Warminster and I know our community will never accept this behavior. "
A swastika was also found scribbled on a paper in a lift Monday at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, according to CNN affiliate WHAM.

Also this week, authorities said that a synagogue in Irvine, California, had been vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

Someone spray-painted "F *** Jews" early Wednesday on the Beth Jacob congregation wall in Irvine, police said.

Antisemitic incidents have increased in the United States in recent years, according to the Anti-Defamation League
The Rabbinical Assembly, an international association of conservative rabbis, said the shootout last weekend was a reminder that "anti-Semitism" is growing in America at an unprecedented rate for decades. "

According to a report on the website of the police department, 151 anti-Semitic hate crime complaints were filed in New York in 2017.

Tony Marco, Amanda Watts and Joe Sutton from CNN contributed to this report.

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