Governor Andrew Cuomo directed the state police to help investigate anti-Semitic vandalism found on Friday at the Silver Gull Beach Club in Breezy Point.
The New York Times reported on Sunday about an email sent to club members about the hateful graffiti found in the resort’s playground. The racist smears, the Times reported, included the words “Heil Hitler” and “gas chamber” spelled out in red block letters. Club workers have since painted over the hateful filth.
Because the Silver Gull Beach Club sits on property within the Gateway National Recreational Area, the incident is now being investigated by the U.S. Parks Police, according to The New York Times.
On Sept. 2, Cuomo dispatched the New York State Police to assist with the probe, saying he was “disgusted” by the crime and vowed that the police would help “ensure the cowards responsible are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Enough is enough. Every single elected official in this state — Democrat and Republican — must come together to denounce these continued acts of hatred and attempts to intimidate and terrorize. We must also call these vile acts what they are — they are hate crimes and they are illegal,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Let me be very clear: we have zero tolerance for hate of any kind in New York.”
Located near the western tip of the Rockaway Peninsula, the Silver Gull Beach Club has been a summer destination for New York City residents for more than half a century, including cabanas overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
