Multiple people reportedly find anti-Semitic stickers, flyers at playground in Squirrel Hill

PITTSBURGH — The Wightman Park and Playground in Squirrel Hill is the latest place where multiple people reportedly found several anti-Semitic stickers and flyers, according to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

“We don’t need these stickers here. We don’t want any more propaganda or rhetoric getting out there,” said the organization’s Director of Community Security, Shawn Brokos.

Brokos first learned about the propaganda from a post on Reddit that reads, in part, “I’ve removed at least 15 Nazi stickers and flyers so far.”

“When we get these reports, we do a lot of intelligence work to better determine who these groups are that are posting,” explained Brokos.

Her organization monitors activity like this all throughout the area, working with police and the FBI.

Brokos says nearly two dozen people have reported a number of public places in Squirrel Hill and Oakland being targeted with similar imagery in the last couple weeks.

“We have a very strong community outreach group where people will either call us, they’ll email us, post it online,” Brokos said. “The information gets to us pretty quickly.”

At Wightman Park, 11 News spoke to Squirrel Hill resident Al Zeman, who is upset by the stickers and flyers.

“I’m just enjoying sitting here and to think that there’s that kind of poison atmosphere out there is very disturbing,” he said.

Unfortunately, with the synagogue shooting trial now underway, Brokos expects to see more hateful images popping up in the area.

“[The flyer] contained a hate symbol, a swastika, which is traumatizing and now we see that on day one of the trial,” Brokos said. “The community’s already been traumatized and now this is one more thing that they have to see as a constant reminder of the threats that are out there against the Jewish community.”

The Jewish Federation is asking community members to contact them about any anti-Semitic flyers or stickers — and suggests removing them or crossing them out, if possible.

11 News reached out to Pittsburgh Police, who said:

“Police in Zone 4 are aware and they are investigating. Beyond that, Public Safety has no additional information to share at this time.”

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