March 20, 2017 By Christian Murray
A homophobic slur that was scrawled in blue ink was discovered on the wall of the building that houses two Astoria legislators this morning.
The graffiti, which read ‘Obama f..t,” was found in two places on the 31-19 Newtown Avenue building, which is where State Senator Michael Gianaris and Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas have their district offices.
The office building next door to the two state legislators, which includes the district office of Councilman Costa Constantinides, was vandalized with a similar hateful message last week. Constantinides reported the incident to police at the time.
The three lawmakers have been outspoken critics of the Trump administration, particularly on matters pertaining to immigration and human rights. They held a diversity rally in Astoria around the time of Trump’s inauguration.
“It is shameful that someone is trying to divide our diverse neighborhood through hostility and bigotry,” Gianaris said, referring to the perpetrator of the homophobic graffiti. “We can assure our community that these hateful actions will not silence our opposition towards policies we consider un-American, and we will continue to fight for those who need our help no matter the cost.”
Meanwhile, Simotas referred to the graffiti as “cowardly” and said that she was confident that the 114 Precinct would catch those responsible.
Council Member Costa Constantinides added that he and his colleagues will continue to fight against bigotry.
