Miami Beach Officials 'Deeply Saddened' by Swastika Incident

MIAMI BEACH, FL — City officials say they are "deeply saddened" by a weekend incident in which five vehicles were keyed with swastikas in a neighborhood that has many Jewish residents.

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"The City of Miami Beach is deeply saddened by the incidents of hateful graffiti that took place this weekend," said Melissa Berthier of the city in a statement released Monday.

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"The swastika is considered a symbol of hate by all and will not be tolerated. While we believe that these incidences were random acts, we are highly concerned and committed to using every resource available to find who did this," the statement added. "We will be canvasing the area and watching surveillance footage and will continue our efforts until those responsible are apprehended."

Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told Patch that the vandalism was discovered on Sunday morning to five vehicles parked near 28 Street and Prairie Avenue. The neighborhood is close to the Miami Beach Golf Club and not far from Miami Beach Senior High in what is considered the Mid Beach area of the city. The area has a number of Jewish residents.

In recent weeks Jewish Community Centers around the country, including one on Miami Beach, have been targeted with bomb threats. New threats were received on Monday including one in nearby Davie, according to several news reports. Threats were also received in New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Michigan.

"I'm incredibly angry but I'm here to channel my anger," said South Florida Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz speaking at a Monday news conference. "But I'm here today to channel my anger so that we can make sure that first and foremost we find these bastards, and that we make sure that we don't rest, and that there is nowhere that they think they can hide that we won't hunt them down and find them."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took to Twitter to voice his concern.

Miami Beach officials stressed that there is no evidence linking the false bomb threats at area Jewish Community Centers with the swastika incident.

“Miami Beach is and will remain a respectful community for all," added Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy L. Morales. "We are very concerned about what this says in our community. We would like to reassure our residents, especially our Jewish community, that we are actively working on this case and will not stop until we find out who did this."

Earlier this month, Miami Beach commissioners announced a partnership with the Anti-Defamation League and all six of public schools in Miami Beach to implement a “No Place for Hate” program during the 2017-18 school year.

"This is not only an initiative to be embraced in our schools and with our youth, but also throughout our community," according to city officials.

The Miami Beach Police Department is asking anyone with information on the swastika incident to call police at 305.673.7901 or call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305.471.TIPS.