Gay, Jewish Senator Finds 2 Swastikas Etched Into His NYC Apartment Building

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — The recent wave of hateful attacks and messages targeting minorities in the wake of the election of President-elect Donald Trump hit close to home for New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman on Tuesday evening.

Hoylman, who is Jewish and openly gay — and represents parts of the Upper West Side, Midtown, Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, the West Village, the East Village and Stuy-Town in the State Senate's 27th district — wrote on Facebook Tuesday night that he'd found two swastikas drawn inside his Greenwich Village apartment building earlier that evening.

The senator shared a photo of one of the swastikas, which had apparently been etched onto a painted surface.

"I came home this evening to news that two swastikas had been discovered in the apartment building where I live with my husband and daughter in Greenwich Village," the senator wrote. "The NYPD Hate Crimes unit is investigating. This comes three days after swastikas were drawn on the doors of nearby students at The New School. Meanwhile, Stephen Bannon, an anti-Semitic, white nationalist has been named as the senior strategist to President-elect Donald J. Trump. Connect the dots."

Bannon has been accused by America's Jewish community of having ties to white supremacy, homophobia, sexism, antisemitism and xenophobia. His ex-wife reportedly said that Bannon "doesn't like Jews," and that he'd made it clear he did not want his children attending schools with Jewish children.

A Change.org petition launched Monday is urging Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan and the Republican National Committee to reconsider Bannon's appointment in the Trump administration. The petition had tallied more than 90,000 signatures within two days of launch.

Patch has reached out to both the NYPD and Hoylman's office for more information. Stay tuned.

Lead photo by Kelsey Williams/FWS