A woman is arrested in vandalism at museum officials’ homes during pro-Palestinian protests

NEW YORK: A woman who police say helped vandalize the homes of the Brooklyn Museum’s leaders with red paint during a wave of pro-Palestinian protests has been arrested on hate crimes charges.
Taylor Pelton, 28, was arrested Wednesday on charges of criminal mischief and criminal mischief as a hate crime, police said.
Police say Pelton was one of six people seen on surveillance video vandalizing the homes of Brooklyn Museum Director Anne Pasternak and museum President and Chief Operating Officer Kimberly Trueblood on June 12.
Pelton was arraigned Wednesday night and released with court supervision, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn district attorney’s office said.
In an email, Pelton’s attorney, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, criticized “the increasing trend of characterizing Palestine solidarity actions as hate crimes.”
According to court papers, Pelton was part of a group of people seen on surveillance video spray-painting red paint the homes of Pasternak and Trueblood and hanging banners that with slogans like “BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS” AND “WHITE SUPREMACIST, FUNDS GENOCIDE.”
An inverted red triangle that authorities say is a symbol used by Hamas to identify Israeli military targets was sprayed onto Pasternak’s door, according to court papers.
The other people seen in the videos are still being sought, the district attorney said.
The vandalism targeting Pasternak, who is Jewish, was denounced by Mayor Eric Adams and other officials.
“This is not peaceful protest or free speech,” Adams said on X. “This is a crime, and it’s overt, unacceptable antisemitism.”
The vandalism happened days after hundreds of pro-Palestinians protesters marched to the museum and occupied the lobby.
Meltzer-Cohen said in her email that the willingness of prosecutors “to endorse the rhetorical collapse of Zionist ideology and protected religious identity, in order to criminalize criticism of Israel, signals a troubling departure from the principles on which our legal and political systems rest.”
Museum officials said in a statement that “it is crucial to distinguish between peaceful protest and criminal acts.”
The officials said the museum’s vision “remains rooted in the belief that art fosters dialogue and mutual understanding among people with diverse experiences and perspectives.”