Four Williamsburg school buses defaced with swastikas

Four school buses serving Jewish communities in Williamsburg were found spray-painted with swastikas and anti-Jewish and anti-Israel messages on November 2, prompting an investigation by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force. No arrests had been reported as of November 3. The buses were near Bedford Avenue and Williamsburg Street West, within the 90th Precinct, according to police-related accounts. The NYPD said the investigation followed a 911 call. Witnesses told responding officers that the buses had been defaced, and photographs showed graffiti on four vehicles. The messages included swastikas and phrases such as Free Palestine and America First, as well as vulgar writing directed at Jews and Israel. One report said the graffiti was painted over or above Hebrew lettering identifying bus operators. The buses served the Satmar, Sanz-Klausenburg and Tiferes Yisrael communities, according to reporting that identified the operators. City Council Member Lincoln Restler said he was working with the NYPD and Shomrim, a community safety organization, to find those responsible. Shomrim was assisting police in efforts to obtain surveillance footage, according to local reporting. New York...