An Adams administration staffer whose mission contains fostering “unity” and bridging “cultural divides,” is underneath hearth for ripping down an Israeli hostage poster — after which allegedly assaulting an outraged eyewitness, The Put up has discovered.
Nallah Sutherland, a particular occasion coordinator for the Mayor’s Workplace of Particular Tasks and Neighborhood Occasions, was noticed earlier this month tearing down the poster from an Higher East Facet gentle pole, ripping it up and dumping it in a trash bin, in accordance with video posted on-line by the nonprofit StopAntisemetism.
“It’s an appalling act of antisemitism,” mentioned the nonprofit’s founder Liora Rez, who demanded Adams instantly hearth Sutherland.
However Sutherland, 25, solely acquired a slap on the wrist by her bosses — who merely required her to take “multicultural coaching” and added a disciplinary word to her everlasting work file, a Metropolis Corridor supply advised The Put up.
Footage of the Nov. 2 incident on the nook of York Ave and East 84th Road begins with Sutherland tearing off the poster and tossing it within the trash.
“Is there a cause you’re taking these down?” asks an eyewitness in regards to the poster, a part of a public artwork marketing campaign to lift consciousness of Israeli and American hostages taken captive by Hamas throughout its Oct. 7, 2023 terror assault on the Jewish state.
“These have been hostages. They have been taken by terrorists,” provides the eyewitness, in accordance with the 20-second clip he recorded.
Sutherland then walks towards the person and swipes his cellphone along with her proper hand, briefly knocking it out of focus, the video exhibits.
“That’s assault truly. You understand that, proper?” the person responds to Sutherland, who smirks and walks away, the video exhibits.
Sutherland started working for Adams – a staunch Israel supporter – in 2023. She earns $61,135-a-year serving to plan celebrations he hosts at Gracie Mansion and at different websites to honor the various metropolis’s many ethnic teams, data present.
She’s a part of a workforce whose job is to “bridge cultural divides … and assist key metropolis initiatives that assist present a supply of power, unity, and resilience to New Yorkers throughout all communities throughout the 5 boroughs and past,” in accordance with her workplace’s web site.
In Might, the workplace organized a Jewish heritage celebration hosted by Adams at Gracie Mansion. The visitor audio system included Shoshan Haran, who alongside along with her daughter and two grandchildren, have been taken hostage by Hamas and launched 50 days later.
“It’s extraordinarily hypocritical that somebody who helps the homicide of anybody nonetheless has a job, a lot much less in a division that performs a significant function in our metropolis’s range efforts — even supposing she can’t tolerate harmless Jews who have been kidnapped by Hamas,” mentioned Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn) after being advised about Sutherland’s motion.
“Decisive motion have to be taken to purge this disgusting pro-jihadist sentiment from” metropolis authorities “as soon as and for all,” added Vernikov, who’s Jewish.
The eyewitness, who’s Jewish and didn’t report the incident to authorities, needs to stay nameless out of concern of retribution contemplating antisemitism instances are hovering statewide.
“It’s a tragic state of affairs when the sufferer doesn’t have belief within the NYPD or” soft-on-crime Manhattan District Lawyer Alvin Bragg “to correctly examine” hate crimes,” mentioned Rez. “There’s no belief within the authorities to maintain the sufferer protected.”
Metropolis Corridor first leaned in regards to the incident weeks in the past when a tipster acknowledged Sutherland after watching the video posted on StopAntisemetism’s social media accounts, mentioned a supply.
The identical “multicultural coaching” Sutherland obtained will even now be necessary for all Mayor’s Workplace of Particular Tasks and Neighborhood Occasions workers to stop related hateful conduct sooner or later, mentioned the Metropolis Corridor supply.
Sutherland is a “junior staffer” who doesn’t instantly talk with Adams as a part of her duties, added the supply.
“Mayor Adams has been clear that hate has no place in our metropolis, and the identical – if not larger – commonplace must be held for our metropolis’s greater than 300,000 staff,” the Mayor’s Workplace mentioned.
“That’s the reason disciplinary motion was taken instantly after studying about this incident a couple of weeks in the past.”
Sutherland didn’t return messages.
Yoav Davis, an activist and founding father of Jews of NY, was surprised that Sutherland is preserving her job.
“It’s particularly disturbing to be taught that a person employed by the mayor’s workplace — notably able meant to have fun town’s range — is instantly related to this tradition of hate,” he mentioned.
Extra reporting by Khristina Narizhnaya.
