Anti-Semitic Graffiti Scrawled in Washington Chinatown — for Fifth Time

This anti-Semitic graffiti returned again after workers cleaned it up. Image by Eli Schechner

By Marcy Oster August 23, 2016

— Anti-Semitic graffiti has appeared for the fifth time this month at one of the busiest intersections in the Chinatown section of Washington, DC.

Earlier this month, vandals repeatedly painted the word “Jew” on the images of rats appearing on an outdoor Chinese Zodiac public art display. On Monday, swastikas were discovered painted on the street nearby, the DCist news website reported.

Maintenance crews employed by DowntownDC, a private nonprofit that encourages business in the city center, have repeatedly cleaned the graffiti, including the swastikas from Monday.

A swastika also was drawn on the door of a corner Starbucks, according to the report.

D.C. Police are offering a $1,000 reward through Crime Solvers for information that leads to an arrest or conviction in the graffiti. The incidents are being investigated as suspected hate crimes.

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