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New School Dormitory Doors Vandalized With Drawings Of Swastikas

By Tabitha Britt
Published on: 15:59 PST, Nov 13, 2016

Swastikas were found scrawled on the doors of dormitory rooms of a Greenwich Village college and on a sidewalk in Crown Heights, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

According to The NY Post, a 45-year-old school security guard discovered the first set of anti-Semitic symbols on four doors of a New School dorm on 5th Avenue near West 13 Street around 4:45 p.m. Saturday.

Sources claim that the disturbing images were inked in black marker within the halls of the Kerrey Residence.

New School student Sam Lichenstein, who lives behind one of the vandalized doors, told The Post that despite the drawings, she still feels safe on campus, but was initially “stunned” when her roommate, Lizzy Katz, a junior majoring in Fashion Design at Parsons, texted her a photo of their door before “erasing it out of shame.”

“My mom is a sergeant in the Philadelphia Police Department so she knows how to deal with police – so I talked to the police,” Jess Williams, Katz suitemate and a BAFA student at Parsons and Lang told The New School Free Press.

“So that’s kind of what our morning has been like.”

“We believe it was someone doing this to be funny or as a joke, but it’s not a joke and we are taking it very seriously,” Lichenstein added.

According to Allie Rohletter, a 20-year-old fashion student, the desecrated doors belonged to Jewish women or other minority women.

“I’m shocked because there are so many international students and students of color from all over, I can’t think of a single person who it might have been,” Rohletter told The Post, adding that she thinks the swastikas were meant to symbolize blanket intolerance, not just anti-Semitism.

“I just couldn’t believe that would happen here, I don’t understand at all, like what was even the motive? So many people here are very vocal about how liberal and open they are, it’s almost unimaginable.”

Other students living in the residence hall also weighed in on the hate crime.

“This year there was a Young Republicans group started on campus, so maybe it has something to do with that,” New Jersey native Morgan Raspanti said.

“This is a very liberal and open school, so everyone is just shocked and disgusted,” she said.

“This is an atrocity and it’s not acceptable behavior and no one is okay with it. Those kinds of attitudes are not welcome here.”

A 21-year-old Republican student told The Post he was horrified by the “hostile” graffiti.

“I stand with my student body, and don’t think this should be tolerated,” said the undergrad, who gave his name only as Robbie.

“I hope they find and expel those students because they are a danger to everyone. The New School is not like that, and I hope this doesn’t give liberals any more reason to hate us because this isn’t what anybody I know wants.”

New School President David Van Zandt issued the following statement to the New School community over email.

“I have just learned of the defacement of four dormitory doors on our campus with a symbol intended to threaten and express hatred toward some of our students because of their identities. Our community standards are very strong and hate crimes are unacceptable at The New School.The New School is committed to tolerance, respect, and diversity. Any form of expression that denigrates members of our community based on their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual or gender identity, or political beliefs is completely abhorrent and antithetical to our core values. We take any such instance seriously, investigate swiftly, and take appropriate action to ensure the security and safety of all our students.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio also responded to the incident, tweeting “Hate speech is reprehensible, and has no place in NYC. To the affected, we stand with you. To the perpetrators, we are better than this.”

[Featured Image by Pixabay]

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