Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on June 19, 2017

Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

A police car is reflected in the window where a Swastika written in fecal matter was found on Rich Forum in Stamford, Conn. Monday, June 18, 2017.

A police car is reflected in the window where a Swastika written in fecal matter was found on Rich Forum in Stamford, Conn. Monday, June 18, 2017.

Police investigate the scene where a Swastika written in fecal matter was found on the windows of Rich Forum in Stamford, Conn. Monday, June 18, 2017.

Police investigate the scene where a Swastika written in fecal matter was found on the windows of Rich Forum in Stamford, Conn. Monday, June 18, 2017.

Jewish leaders call for more security after slur drawn in feces on Stamford window

STAMFORD Jewish community leaders called for more security in the city after someone used fecal matter to smear a swastika and the Star of David near the entrance of the Rich Forum Media Center on Atlantic Street.

Workers at the theater, where filming of the Jerry Springer Show, Maury Show, and Steve Wilkos Show takes place, called police to report the slur on Monday morning.

By the time police arrived at the theater, the swastika, Star of David and another symbol what could be a question mark or the number 2 had been cleaned off the window, said Sgt. Steve Perrotta.

Lt. Tom Barcello, who is in charge of the major crime squad, said discovering anti-semitic slurs in Stamford is rare.

But Lauren Steinberg, director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Dariens Jewish Community Relations Council, said instances of anti-Semitism occurs more often than one might expect.

Unfortunately anti-Semitism remains a pervasive element in our communities that we see increasingly more incidents of, Steinberg said. This is a reminder to the Jewish community that we need to ensure our security and safety.

And to the Stamford community as a whole, it is important for us to stand together as neighbors against antisemitism, racism and bigotry of all forms.

Investigators are working to obtain security footage of the incident, which happened Sunday night, Perrotta said. Employees gave police a picture of the glass panel near the entrance, where the slurs were written.

A Stamford crime scene investigator discovered what appeared to be a cup of feces and a latex glove around the corner on Tresser Boulevard and put the items in a bag before loading them it into a police car, possibly for DNA analysis.

Steve Ginsburg, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said for the past 70 years or so the symbol of the swastika has been closely connected to the Nazis and efforts to create a white supreme race.

Ginsburg said there has been a significant rise and spike in the use of hate symbols in Connecticut and across the United States over the past year, beginning last summer.

From 2015 to 2016 the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents in Connecticut rose by 68 percent, according to the Anti-Defamation League. There were 38 such incidents in 2016 and 25 were categorized as harassment or threats, 12 were acts of vandalism and one was an assault.

Perrotta said police have a screen shot of the video, which they said shows a man walking away right after he puts a latex glove on and smears the feces onto the glass panel along Atlantic Street, a half block south of the new Bobby Valentines sports bar and restaurant.

The screen shot, however, does not show the mans face and police are hoping the entire video will help them identify the suspect, who appeared to be wearing khaki shorts over a pair of jeans.

Ginsburg urged residents against complacency with hate speech.

This has become on of the premier anti-Semitic ways of expressing hate and anti-Semitism, Ginsburg said. It is deeply offensive and hits to the core of anyone who lived through or has a relative who was lost during the Holocaust.

The right response is to shine a light on it (instances of anti-Semitism) and have other community leaders expresses that this is not who we are.

Martin Cassidy contributed reporting

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com;

Read more:
Jewish leaders call for more security after slur drawn in feces on Stamford window - Norwalk Advocate

Category: Anti-Defamation League
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