Greenpoint Landlord Hangs Giant 'Never Trump' Banner Above G Train

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN — It's no secret that Greenpoint is fertile anti-Donald Trump country: The Republican Party's presidential nominee received a mere 225 votes in the neighborhood during the primaries, while former Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders saw his strongest voter turnout in all of New York City.

So perhaps it's also no surprise that, three months before the 2016 presidential election, one Greenpoint landlord has chosen to hang a giant "Never Trump" banner on his four-story building at 903 Manhattan Avenue — directly above the entrance to the Greenpoint Avenue G Train stop.

Peter Kirchhausen, 30, whose family owns the building, said he hung the sign in protest of Trump's rhetoric, which he said has defined Muslims, Mexicans and refugees as a threat to America.

"Fascism has no place in American politics," Kirchhausen said in a statement sent to Patch. "The thought of having a thin-skinned ignoramus with violent impulses in the White House gives me great pause. A demagogue dictator managed to kill most of my father's family in the gas chambers during the Holocaust, and it is time for all concerned citizens to stand up to Trump's lunacy and his sleaze."

So far, Kirchhausen said the banner has been a hit with his neighbors.

"My tenants love the banner and my neighbors are very happy," the landlord said. "Even if they were not happy, the banner would not be going anywhere. This is a time to make clear what side we are on. Hillary does not excite me but she doesn't scare me or jeopardize our country's immediate future."

Photo by Aaron Simon/Patch