State Senator Thinks Timing Of Swastika Scrawled In His Building Was No Coincidence

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) said Wednesday that he did not think the timing of swastikas that were found carved into an elevator in his apartment building was a coincidence.

As WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported, Hoylman said a neighbor found two swastikas that were carved into the green paint of a service elevator in his building near Washington Square Park, and immediately called police.

Hoylman, who is openly gay and Jewish, posted a photo of one of the swastikas to Twitter Tuesday night.

"I'm pretty sure this wasn't directed at me or my family," he said.

But he also said he believes the swastikas were inspired by Donald Trump's election win and his hiring of former Breitbart News executive Stephen Bannon as a senior White House adviser, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported on Tuesday.

He said there was no way the timing of the vandalism was a coincidence.

"The Trump presidency, I fear, has unleashed some of the worst more bigoted sentiments in our society, and I think that is what you are seeing in my neighborhood and across the country," Hoylman said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center said there have been more than 400 bias incidents since the election nationwide.

"Sadly, Greenwich Village apparently isn't immune," Hoylman said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio responded with a tweet, saying "hate has no place in NYC."

The incident is under investigation.

The Trump transition team insists Bannon is not racist or anti-Semitic.

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• Swastika