Brooklynites, the Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock and Ben Stiller jammed into a park Sunday morning for a “stand up against hate” rally after two swastikas were found spray painted at the playground named for the band’s deceased member Adam Yauch. The swastikas and the words “Go Trump” were found Friday spray-painted on a jungle-gym train in the Brooklyn Heights playground. City workers removed the graffiti during the night.
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The next day, children came to the park with hearts, flowers and hand-written messages of love that were placed where the offending messages had been. The words “Love Trumps Hate” were written in chalk on the ground. RELATED: New York ranks high for hate crimes since Election Day Hundreds assembled at t the park at around 11:30 a.m. Sunday to add their voices against hate, some carrying signs with Beastie Boys inspired slogans such as “No sleep til no hate in Brooklyn.” Ad-Rock, aka Adam Horovitz, told the crowd that “Spray painting swastikas in a children’s playground is a messed-up thing to do.”
“And for many of us, it has special meaning, because this park is named for Adam Yauch, who was my friend and bandmate for over 30 years,” he said. “But he was also someone who taught non-violence in his music, in his life—to all of us, and to me.” Yauch was raised Jewish, like Horowitz and former band member Mike Diamond, but converted to Buddhism as an adult. He died in 2012 after a battle with cancer. He was 47.
“This is more about someone in our community linking Nazi Germany to Donald Trump in a ‘hell yeah’ kind of way where children play,” Horowitz said. He then mentioned several other hate incidents that have occurred since Election Day, including a woman who was punched in the face by a Trump supporter at a restaurant near Boerum Hill. Stiller, a Bestie Boys fan, attended the rally with his daughter.
“Standing with people of Brooklyn, my daughter, @adrock, @DanielSquadron, and many more in Adam Yauch Park. #MCA #NYC #StandUpAgainstHate,”Stiller tweeted.
Standing with people of Brooklyn, my daughter, @adrock, @DanielSquadron, and many more in Adam Yauch Park. #MCA #NYC #StandUpAgainstHate pic.twitter.com/C4pg6YFoJR
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) November 20, 2016
