Crowd gathers to reject message of hate

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After suffering the second incident of racist graffiti since he moved to Riverdale, Menuhin Hart earlier this month said he plans to leave the neighborhood for good.

But a subsequent outpouring of support from neighbors has made him change his mind.

Religious leaders across Riverdale organized an April 13 vigil at the monument on 239th Street and Riverdale Avenue to show solidarity with Mr. Hart, who is black, and push back against intolerance. Dozens of residents joined the vigil, including Mr. Hart and his sister, Dawn Rowe.

“People have been leaving me notes and I am sending out thank you cards. I am very happy to be here and to have all the support,” Mr. Hart said.

On the morning of April 4, Mr. Hart discovered the phrase “u shood [sic] move” spray painted on his 2011 red Dodge Ram pickup truck. The vehicle was parked on Independence Avenue overnight when the vandalism occurred. Mr. Hart — who has lived at the Whitehall, an apartment building at 3333 Henry Hudson Parkway, for roughly three years — had his first encounter with graffiti vandalism on his truck in September.

Speaking about the incidents, Mr. Hart said he has been trying to pinpoint who the culprit or culprits may be. He stated that he does not know many people in his building — only the doorman and a neighbor he occasionally socializes with. He added that his brother was disgusted that such an event would occur twice in a place with such diversity.

“When I first got there, [Whitehall residents] treated me all kind of funny, but you shake a lot of stuff off,” Mr. Hart said. “But there is a bad apple in everything. What can you do?”

During the vigil, Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn of Congregation Tehillah urged the crowd to refrain from making assumptions about others based on their race.

She added that while Riverdale will not tolerate the behavior that Mr. Hart experienced, it can be used as a moment to collectively stand up against racism and hatred.

“The newness of spring should be a time of renewal for all of us,” Rabbi Shriner-Cahn said. “Separate, what are we? But together, we are a force to be reckoned with.”

Whitehall building, graffiti, Ashley Helms
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