You are reading

Anti-Semitic Graffiti Scribbled Across Benches in Doughboy Park

(Image provided by Anne O’Byrne)

July 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan 

A number of benches inside a Woodside dog run were vandalized last week–with Nazi scribblings scratched on the seats.

Three benches inside the Doughboy Park dog run each had the German words “Nur Fur Arier” scraped into them. The words translate to “Only For Aryans.”

The term was used in Nazi Germany to notify Jews that they weren’t welcome in places such as shops and parks.

The hateful graffiti was discovered Saturday morning by local resident Anne O’Byrne when she took her 11-year-old daughter and dog to the park.

“It struck me as disgusting that somebody was trying to claim that benches in the dog run were for Aryans only,” O’Byrne said.

O’Byrne said she took some photos and informed her husband who was at home at the time. They then contacted Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer about getting rid of the graffiti.

“The council member didn’t have access to his office where they store anti-graffiti materials but he was very sympathetic with our desire to get rid of it right away,” O’Byrne said.

O’Byrne said she believes the perpetrators used a sharpie or some other type of marker to deface the bench. She returned to the park at around 4 p.m. with her husband Michael Beck to scrub off the markings.

The pair used a scrubber, soap, and some other mechanics to wipe off the writing which took around 10 minutes to complete, they said.

Michael Beck scrubbing the graffiti off (Image provided by Anne O’Byrne)

Beck said that other park users told them that the benches had been marked for a few days. He said he doesn’t know who vandalized the benches but it was likely the work of hate-filled amateurs.

“I don’t know if it was someone belonging to some online group that shares the information and learns just enough German to be dangerous because the German wasn’t exactly perfect,” Beck said.

Beck, who is a former German teacher, said that the spelling is missing an “umlaut, which is a mark or two dots used above a vowel. The umlaut should be over the second “u,” according to Beck.

Nevertheless, Beck said he was offended by the writing because his parents were German immigrants and it reminded him of a dark period in German history.

“I don’t know if there was anyone in the area who lived through the Holocaust to see that but still it’s disgusting,” he said.

Beck said that they also had to explain to their daughter what the writings meant.

“Nobody should even find out what that means,” he said.

Beck, who has lived in the neighborhood with his wife for 21 years, said the markings have no place in Woodside.

“We live in such a diverse community and that sentiment should never be written in our neighborhood,” Beck said.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

3 Comments

Click for Comments 
Lila Maron

Thank you for taking care of the graffiti. Jimmy is absolutely incompetent that he couldn’t send someone to do the same job that you so easily did. He could’ve done it himself

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

A hidden gem in Sunnyside: Bistro Punta Sal blends Peruvian and Italian flavors

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

On a quiet street in Sunnyside, Bistro Punta Sal has its French doors wide open, letting the late August breeze emanate throughout the space, which is ornate with flowers, paintings and an array of tables and chairs for intimate dinners with friends or a romantic date night. The cozy restaurant, located at 45-51 46th St., is a hidden gem in the neighborhood that is just waiting to be discovered, as the sights and aromas of the restaurant invite guests in. 

Off-duty paramedic spots South Richmond Hill two-alarm house fire that injures nine firefighters, two civilians on Friday morning: FDNY

Nine firefighters were injured, two of them seriously, and two civilians sustained minor injuries during a two-alarm house fire in South Richmond Hill on Friday morning, but it could have been worse if not for the actions of an off-duty veteran EMT.

Paramedic Craig Biscuiti was driving to work when he noticed a column of thick black smoke and heavy flames coming from the first floor of a two-story home at 95-36 111th St. just before 7:10 a.m.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.