Antisemitic stickers found in Squirrel Hill park on 1st day of synagogue shooting trial

Antisemitic stickers were found in a Squirrel Hill park Tuesday, as the much-anticipated Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial got underway.

About 15 stickers were removed from utility poles and other public surfaces at Wightman Park, and the stickers also have been found in Schenley Park, along Beechwood Boulevard, and in Oakland, said Shawn Brokos, director of community security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

“We saw this two weeks before the trial, and we’ve seen an uptick ever since,” Brokos told the Trib. “They are certainly antisemitic but they also are anti-minority.”

Eleven worshippers were killed Oct. 27, 2018, inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill. The trial of accused shooter Robert Bowers started in federal court Tuesday.

Brokos said the stickers — which she said have been placed on telephone poles and “public and private locations” — were white supremacist-themed.

The FBI has convened a “working group” of federal, state and local enforcement, as well as intelligence partners, to deal with incidents such as these, Brokos said.

But Pittsburgh residents have been key in fighting back.

“I think (our work) is reactive but it’s a tribute to our community at large, not just the Jewish community, that so many people are reporting this,” she said. “It’s shocking to so many. It’s antisemitism, yes, but it’s all-purpose hate.”

Pittsburgh Public Safety said Zone 4 police are investigating. The FBI was not immediately available for comment.