WESTPORT — A Bridgeport woman has been charged with vandalizing a downtown crosswalk with pro-Palestinian graffiti on Thursday.
Katerina Hasiotis was issued a misdemeanor summons for criminal mischief, police said in a Friday statement.
“Save Gaza” was scrawled on a Post Road East crosswalk, near Main Street, according to police, who said the incident was reported by a witness.
The damage was temporarily addressed Thursday night, with public works crews finishing repairs Friday morning.
The police investigation identified Hasiotis as the suspect, according to the report, and after being contacted, she turned herself in at Police Department headquarters Friday. Her case is scheduled for June 20 at state Superior Court in Stamford.
In the Police Department statement announcing the allegation against Hasiotis, officials said that while they support everyone’s constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech, “Freedom of speech, however, does not include the destruction or defacement of public or private property.
“The town respects and encourages the citizenry to express their opinions regardless of point of view. However, this must be done in a peaceful manner with respect to other’s personal safety and property.”
Why did this Bridgeport resident choose a Westport crosswalk to display her message? Could the reason perhaps be that the First Selectwoman voiced her opinion echoed seconds later by the Chief of Police and the Superintendent of Schools ” WE STAND WITH ISRAEL? “Minutes later tiny white signs with blue stars appeared all over town. But as we have seen with college protests across the country, not all stand in lockstep with Israel . What some see as antisemitism, others see as genocide. Just this week the International Criminal Court at the Hague, was seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu .
The point is while this woman had no right to display her opinion on public property, many of us who see things from the other side also view the public signage and promulgations of support, whether it’s standing with Israel, DEI plaques of Westport values, rainbow crosswalks on Jesup Green or the hanging missing Hispanics posters flying off the Ruth Steinhaus Cohen bridge, as defacing public property ..
Perhaps the best way to live in peace and harmony is to keep our opinions to ourselves.