Council Member Robert Holden has condemned anti-ICE graffiti that appeared on the Kosciuszko Bridge last week, warning that “dangerous rhetoric will end in tragedy.”
The graffiti, which appeared on a pedestrian walkway on the Kosciuszko Bridge on Friday, Aug. 22, promoted “death to all ICE agents,” prompting a furious backlash from Holden.
“This isn’t free speech, it’s a call for violence against law enforcement,” Holden said in a post on Facebook condemning the incident.
Holden said “dangerous” anti-ICE rhetoric from politicians across the country fueled such incidents and warned that such rhetoric would “end in tragedy.”
A Department of Transportation spokesperson said a DOT team responded to the issue on Monday morning, traveling to the Kosciuszko Bridge to clean and repaint the impacted area. The spokesperson said the graffiti had already been covered up by the team the DOT team arrived.
Holden’s office had raised the issue with the NYPD, DOT and the Mayor’s office as well as alerting the office of U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis about the graffiti.
Holden praised Malliotakis for taking immediate steps to address the issue.
“Congresswoman Malliotakis instantly sprang into action with me and together we’re demanding swift removal of this hate and standing firmly with the brave men and women who protect us. The NYPD is investigating,” Holden said on Facebook.
Representatives for Holden, Malliotakis, the NYPD and the mayor’s office have not yet responded to a request for comment.
