You are reading

Vandals Scrawl Hate-Filled Messages on Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Elmhurst Park

Council Member Bob Holden observing the ugly graffiti at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Elmhurst Park today (twitter)

June 2, 2021 By Christian Murray

Hate-filled vandals scrawled swastikas and other ugly messages on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Elmhurst Park today.

The graffiti blanketed the memorial that features the names of 371 service members from Queens who gave up their lives in the Vietnam war.

“This is the worst vandalism I have seen in all my years,” said Council Member Bob Holden. “It’s very crude. It’s anti God, anti-soldier, anti-police, anti-everything.”

The vandals sprayed the words “baby killers” and lewd statements about God, along with swastikas in several places.

Holden said that the graffiti comes just days after a number of Memorial Day events were held at the park. He said that the police have notified him that they will be pursuing this as a hate crime.

“This is an insult to the United States and to every freedom-loving member of New York City,” Holden said. “It’s an insult to the soldiers who died.”

He noted that some of the graffiti is anti-NYPD, with a swastika scribbled next to the number 110, as in the 110th Precinct.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, who was the borough president when the memorial was completed in 2019, said that she would work with the NYPD to make sure the people responsible are held accountable.

The memorial sits on the northwest corner of Elmhurst Park, by the intersection of Grand Avenue and 79th Street. It features two walls facing each other and a flag poll.

“This is only Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Queens that pays homage to all the fallen service men and women from this borough,” Katz, who visited the ugly scene today, said. “The attack on the memorial, in this park, is a foul, criminal act.”

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz assessing the hate-filled graffiti at the memorial today (Photo: Courtesy of DA Katz)

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News
Borough president hears from community members on budget needs throughout Queens

During a two-day public hearing on the mayor’s 2024 preliminary budget, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. listened to testimonies from 14 community board representatives, community stakeholders and members of the public on where the money should be spent in Queens. 

The public hearings were held both in-person and via Zoom on Monday, Jan. 30, and Tuesday, Jan. 31, at Queens Borough Hall. The testimonials will be used to develop the Queens Borough Board’s FY24 preliminary budget priorities in the coming weeks. 

Read More
0
‘He didn’t deserve to die’: Borough President Richards leads emotional candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards held a candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols outside Queens Borough Hall Monday, Jan. 30 after Nichols’ death at the hands of police officers in Memphis, Tenn., made national headlines for the brutality in which the officers beat him.

Almost immediately after news broke about Nichols’ death, the Memphis police officers who beat him to death were fired and charged with murder. The police department released the body cam footage of the fatal beating on Jan. 27, but many people, including some at the vigil, have refused to watch it due to its extremely graphic nature.

Read More
0
Queens man faces life in prison for murder of his accomplice during Ozone Park shootout: DA

A Springfield Gardens man was indicted by a Queens grand jury for murder and other crimes for allegedly gunning down his own accomplice instead of his intended target during an Ozone Park shootout in June, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Richard Dixon, 32, of 141st Avenue, was arraigned Jan. 27 before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on an eight-count indictment charging him with murder in the second degree, attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Read More
0
BP launches new advisory panel for youth to become civically engaged in the future of Queens

In an effort to get more young people involved in civics, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has created a new advisory panel known as the Youth and Young Adult Council to introduce the “youngest and fiercest” community advocates to both community service and organization.

Members of the advisory body will advocate concerns through means of community engagement by participating in one of two cohorts. The first will be made up of high school representatives between the ages of 13 and 17, while the second cohort will be comprised of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25.

Read More
0
Load More Articles