Haverstraw Police Chief Peter Murphy will be meeting with the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office on Friday, according to Supervisor Howard Phillips, to determine if the man’s statement was a threat and if any laws were broken.
“In either case, it’s extremely sad and dangerous when an individual gets up in front of a public meeting and makes vicious statements and a threat to harm any person in our town,” Phillips said Thursday night.
“Haverstraw has always been a true melting pot of all cultures and religions,” Phillips said. “We have never tolerated hate speech in any form.”
Governor Kathy Hochul denounced the incident:
UPDATE: I have directed the @nyspolice Hate Crimes Task Force & @NYSHumanRights to assist local leaders responding to this incident. Hateful, antisemitic speech will not be tolerated. We will do everything we can to protect our communities from this abuse.
— Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 12, 2021
Everyone has the right to walk down the street without fear. New York, we are better than this.
— Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 11, 2021
Rockland County executive Ed Day calls the Haverstraw incident “beyond disgusting”:
It’s appalling, depressing & truly frightening that 83 years after Kristallnacht, a New Yorker would stand up at a public meeting and speak gleefully about running over his Jewish neighbors in the street.
If we really believe hate has no home here, we have so much work to do. https://t.co/xquEc424On
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) November 12, 2021
See the video below:
Such hatred. For what? walking in the streets?! At least the board members were bothered by the comments, didn’t seem like the others were. https://t.co/F22R5IEVok
— 5TownsCentral (@5TownsCentral) November 11, 2021
