12-year-old arrested for drawing chalk swastikas

Last Wednesday, NYPD arrested a 12-year-old boy for drawing several chalk swastikas and offensive messages on a Queens playground with chalk. The child has since been charged with aggravated harassment, which is a felony in NY. This came following an investigation by the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/02/27/queens-rego-park-swastika-anti-semitic-graffiti-arrest/

https://nypost.com/2019/02/28/cops-say-12-year-old-scrawled-anti-semitic-graffiti-at-queens-school/

“No matter the face of hate, the NYPD, partnered with the community, has ZERO tolerance" Tweeted NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea following the arrest.

"Face of hate." Talk about overkill. Punish the kid, but don't arrest him and charge him with a felony. Come on. I sincerely doubt this child is a jew-hating Nazi or even fully understood what he was drawing, especially as it looks like he also drew a hammer and sickle (the ideologies obviously conflict). They actually got NYPD detectives involved over crude chalk drawings on a playground that were quite clearly drawn by a child being naughty.

The NYPD should visit the playground in my neighbourhood. The volume of 'colourful' etchings and scribbles on that old jungle gym will keep their Hate Crimes Task Force occupied for months.

There is an obvious mismatch between the scale of what happened and the response it got. I think this is a good example of how police will go overboard to demonstrate how committed they are to tackling hate. All common sense and proportion just goes out the window. Now this kid has an arrest and a felony charge on his record. Imagine if he actually gets convicted.

Last Wednesday, NYPD arrested a 12-year-old boy for drawing several chalk swastikas and offensive messages on a Queens playground with chalk. The child has since been charged with aggravated harassment, which is a felony in NY. This came following an investigation by the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/02/27/queens-rego-park-swastika-anti-semitic-graffiti-arrest/

https://nypost.com/2019/02/28/cops-say-12-year-old-scrawled-anti-semitic-graffiti-at-queens-school/

“No matter the face of hate, the NYPD, partnered with the community, has ZERO tolerance" Tweeted NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea following the arrest.

"Face of hate." Talk about overkill. Punish the kid, but don't arrest him and charge him with a felony. Come on. I sincerely doubt this child is a jew-hating Nazi or even fully understood what he was drawing, especially as it looks like he also drew a hammer and sickle (the ideologies obviously conflict). They actually got NYPD detectives involved over crude chalk drawings on a playground that were quite clearly drawn by a child being naughty.

The NYPD should visit the playground in my neighbourhood. The volume of 'colourful' etchings and scribbles on that old jungle gym will keep their Hate Crimes Task Force occupied for months.

There is an obvious mismatch between the scale of what happened and the response it got. I think this is a good example of how police will go overboard to demonstrate how committed they are to tackling hate. All common sense and proportion just goes out the window. Now this kid has an arrest and a felony charge on his record. Imagine if he actually gets convicted.

I believe that there are much more useful things that detectives could be investigating rather than a 12 year old boy drawing. I also believe freedom of speech is being silenced out in the world, yes what the nazis did was wrong, but the child surely has a right to speak up for what he believes in?

Doesnt sound all innocent to me. Serves him right. Maybe he will get their equivalent of community service and have to scrub graffiti off?

It was just one Swastika it says they were all over.
A custodian discovered the hate-filled messages, which included “Hail Hitler” and “No Jews allowed,” in addition to dozens of swastikas.

Maybe he will think again if hes taken to court. It will probably all get wiped when he becomes an adult.

This is a felony charge, not a misdemeanor. I'm sorry, you don't arrest a 12-year-old over chalk swastikas and "Hail Hitlers" on a playground and charge him with a freaking felony, no matter how many were drawn. You ground him and don't take him to Disney Land. That is the more proportional response.

Last Wednesday, NYPD arrested a 12-year-old boy for drawing several chalk swastikas and offensive messages on a Queens playground with chalk. The child has since been charged with aggravated harassment, which is a felony in NY. This came following an investigation by the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/02/27/queens-rego-park-swastika-anti-semitic-graffiti-arrest/

https://nypost.com/2019/02/28/cops-say-12-year-old-scrawled-anti-semitic-graffiti-at-queens-school/

“No matter the face of hate, the NYPD, partnered with the community, has ZERO tolerance" Tweeted NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea following the arrest.

"Face of hate." Talk about overkill. Punish the kid, but don't arrest him and charge him with a felony. Come on. I sincerely doubt this child is a jew-hating Nazi or even fully understood what he was drawing, especially as it looks like he also drew a hammer and sickle (the ideologies obviously conflict). They actually got NYPD detectives involved over crude chalk drawings on a playground that were quite clearly drawn by a child being naughty.

The NYPD should visit the playground in my neighbourhood. The volume of 'colourful' etchings and scribbles on that old jungle gym will keep their Hate Crimes Task Force occupied for months.

There is an obvious mismatch between the scale of what happened and the response it got. I think this is a good example of how police will go overboard to demonstrate how committed they are to tackling hate. All common sense and proportion just goes out the window. Now this kid has an arrest and a felony charge on his record. Imagine if he actually gets convicted.

This is a felony charge, not a misdemeanor. I'm sorry, you don't arrest a 12-year-old over chalk swastikas and "Hail Hitlers" on a playground and charge him with a freaking felony, no matter how many were drawn. You ground him and don't take him to Disney Land. That is the more proportional response.

Non-story. Felony vandalism charges for juveniles are not uncommon in the States, especially when it's a hate crime. This probably happens everyday to poor black kids putting up gang tags. What's so special about this little dipshit?

Non-story. Felony vandalism charges for juveniles are not uncommon in the States, especially when it's a hate crime. This probably happens everyday to poor black kids putting up gang tags. What's so special about this little dipshit?

At 12 you have a bit of common sense , you think any 12 year old who has learnt about what the Nazi’s did & Hitler would normally do this ? (I get kids graffiti, fairs - this slightly different) perhaps the parents are who are further enabling him to think the swastikas are an acceptable logo therefore I don’t really think the parents are who should discipline him in this situation.

There's a big difference between a 17 year old and a 12 year old, even though both are technically juveniles. Plus it says in your link it's only likely to be a felony if the damage costs over $400, which some chalk on the ground isn't.

And can you actually find an example of a 12 year old "poor black kid" charged with a felony for "putting up gang tags" (LOL, pretty racist stereotype of you)? If you can than fair enough.

This wasn't a case of vandalism. It was chalk on a public playground. Besides, vandalism is typically a misdemeanor and only becomes a felony when there is serious damage to property, usually involving a repeat offender. You are comparing apples to oranges and misleading people.

Children shouldn't be charged with felonies over things like this full stop, so citing examples of minors charged with felonies for graffiti (which you haven't actually given) isn't an ethical justification to begin with.