Latest news with #JeremyBrokaw
CBS News
02-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Man accused of distributing racist and antisemitic flyers in Pittsburgh faces $48,000 in fines
Man accused of distributing racist and antisemitic flyers faces tens of thousands of dollars in fine Man accused of distributing racist and antisemitic flyers faces tens of thousands of dollars in fine Man accused of distributing racist and antisemitic flyers faces tens of thousands of dollars in fine Two weeks after people in Squirrel Hill and other communities came across hateful flyers targeting minority groups outside their homes, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police said a man is now facing more than $48,000 in fines. Living in Squirrel Hill, Rebecca Elhassid is seriously concerned about the hatred that she said has become normalized in today's society towards Jewish people and members of other minority groups. "I didn't think that in my lifetime we were going to see this kind of resurgence of hate," Elhassid said. She said it's now so commonplace that the flyers distributed in her neighborhood last month didn't surprise her. "Naively, I thought that we were past this as an American community, and we're not," Elhassid said. It was May 18 when people found antisemitic flyers, along with those sending racist and anti-immigrant messages, across Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and in Washington County's Peters Township. Now, Pittsburgh police said 45-year-old Jeremy Brokaw of Zanesville, Ohio was the driver behind the wheel of a tan Dodge Durango. They issued more than 160 traffic citations against him for depositing waste and other material on properties, each carrying a $300 fine. Shawn Brokos is the director of community security at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. "They drove a distance. They drove about two hours from Zanesville, Ohio to come do this," Brokos said. "They did it with windows open, you know, broad daylight, yelling antisemitic comments out the window." Brokos said the people responsible are affiliated with a known white supremacy organization that's not known to be violent. They've encountered them other times in the past five years, but never this blatantly. She doesn't know if the incidents here meet the statute for a hate crime federally or ethnic intimidation on the state level. "It's a very high threshold, and it typically has to be a threat of violence, whether that violence was carried out or not," Brokos said. It's unclear if the others in the vehicle with Brokaw will face any consequences. Either way, Brokos hopes these fines are a deterrent. "I hope the citation at least sends a message, that do not come through Squirrel Hill, do not try and intimidate our Jewish community or harass our Jewish community," Brokos said. The case remains under investigation as detectives try to identify the others in the vehicle. If you have any information about them, call Pittsburgh police at 412-422-6520 or 911.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Man accused of distributing antisemitic flyers in Pittsburgh identified
Police have identified a suspect accused of throwing baggies containing antisemitic messages into the front yards in two Western Pennsylvania counties. Around two weeks ago, police collected over 100 fliers just in Squirrel Hill, plus some in Shadyside and Peters Township, Washington County. Now, Jeremy Brokaw, 45, of Zanesville, Ohio, has been issued more than 160 traffic citations. Police said each citation carries a $300 fine, which in total is around $48,000. A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety said that Peters Township, Washington County, also issued the same citations for violations in that jurisdiction. The spokesperson added that the district attorney was only able to charge for traffic citations, saying that the person did not make threats and was within his First Amendment rights. Last month, witnesses said a Dodge Durango with Ohio license plates and three to four people inside tossed the baggies out of the car window while yelling slurs. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said they know the national group behind this, which is known for flyers with a shock factor. The Jewish Federation added that this group usually operates under the cover of darkness, which makes this all the more frightening. 'With this particular group, they were so blatant, they did this in broad daylight, between 6-8 p.m.,' Shawn Brokos with the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh said. 'People were out, it was a beautiful night. It's disturbing to see them escalating and being so vocal about it.' Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
