Taylor Pelton, a 28-year-old woman, has been arrested and charged with a hate crime for splattering red paint on the home of Jewish Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak. The attack, which occurred in June, involved five people wearing masks and defacing the courtyard with red paint and hateful messages, including calling Pasternak a “white-supremacist Zionist.” Other homes in the area, including those of museum board members, were also targeted with red paint. Pelton appeared in court and pleaded not guilty, and is due back in court on October 30. The Brooklyn Museum has stated that they are cooperating with the authorities in the investigation and believe in peaceful protest rather than criminal acts. The museum emphasizes their support for artists’ free expression and fostering dialogue among people with diverse perspectives. This incident comes amid protests and demonstrations related to the Hamas-Israel war and a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic harassment and incidents in the U.S. and worldwide. The NYPD and senior police sources were investigating multiple incidents involving red paint being thrown at homes in the city, and Pelton is the first person to be charged in connection with these attacks.
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Jewish Director of Brooklyn Museum’s Home Vandalized; Woman Accused of Hate Crime
