For at least the third consecutive week, criminals have vandalized public property in the city’s eastern neighborhoods.
This time, white supremacist stickers were found in Schenley Park and Squirrel Hill affixed to public bulletin boards, city signage and trash cans.
Law enforcement is aware of the vandalism, which is a criminal violation of both state and city ordinances.
In Pittsburgh, vandalism is covered under the city’s public mischief statutes. It is a summary offense and carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail if the damage is less than $150.
Shawn Brokos, director of security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said the vandalism is meant to shock and generate attention.
“The stickers are a reminder of the hate that exists,” she said, but noted there are no known threats associated with the stickers.
The vandalism was reported by many members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, as well as non-Jewish community members.
The city is in the process of removing the stickers. Brokos said she expects the vandalism, which increased in frequency with the start of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter trial, to continue throughout the trial and urged anyone who sees any antisemitic or suspicious activity, flyers or stickers to report it to local law enforcement and the federation online at https://jewishpgh.org/explore/community-security.
This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and the Pittsburgh Union Progress in a collaboration supported by funding from the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.
