March 28, 2017 Staff Report
An Astoria office building that houses two local politicians was vandalized with homophobic graffiti over the weekend for a third time this month.
The building, located at 31-19 Newtown Avenue, was spray-painted with the words “Obama Fa—ot.” State Senator Michael Gianaris and Assembly Member Aravella Simotas both have offices in the building.
“It is clear this bigot is trying send a message of intolerance to our community, but it will not work,” Gianaris said in a statement. “I am confident the NYPD will apprehend the person committing these disturbing acts and I am thankful for their continued efforts. It will take more than a bigot with a magic marker to stop me from fighting for the values of tolerance and inclusiveness.”
This latest round of vandalism has come after the police released video footage of the suspect on Saturday, who is believed to be a white or light-skinned Hispanic man between 30 and 40 years old and is left handed.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the series of incidents.
