NYPD Crimestoppers Photo of Stephanie Gonzalez, center, which resulted in her arrest for hate crime assault and robbery
A Yonkers woman was arrested for hate crime assault and attempted robbery when she and another women were confronted after ripping down posters of hostages held by Hamas on street poles. The incident occurred in NYC on Nov. 9 around 10pm at 82nd Street and Riverside Avenue.
Stephanie Gonzalez, 25, of Yonkers is accused of assaulting a woman who confronted her and Mehwish Omar while they were taking down the posters. According to police, the two repeatedly hit the woman and pulled a Star of David neckless off her neck.
One of the two yelled at the victim, “F*@%k Israel, and f*^&k your white privilege.” The incident was recorded on a cell phone, and the attack resulted in popped blood vessels in the victim’s eye.
Gonzalez and Omer were charged on Nov. 20, 11 days after the incident. The NYPD and Crimestoppers issued a wanted poster on social media of the two. Both were released without bail after appearing in Manhattan Criminal Court.
The case is currently being investigated by the NYPD- Hate Crimes Task Force.
According to the ADL of New York, “Since the Israel-Hamas war began, there’s been a dramatic surge in antisemitic incidents and an increasing awareness of antisemitism in the U.S compared to last year, according to new ADL research. We found a 316% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to a year ago, and 70% of Americans view Jew-hatred as a growing problem now compared to 49% a year ago – that’s an increase of one-third. On campuses across the country, there has been a 900+% increase in incidents compared to the same time a year ago. Encouragingly, we also found 47% of Americans are personally motivated to address antisemitism today, up from 38% a year ago. It’s validating to see more people opening their eyes to the stark reality of Jewish life in America – but let’s be clear: with an increase in incidents, recognizing the problem of antisemitism is only the first step.”
