An incident in New York City has sparked significant public outcry involving a city staffer.
Nallah Sutherland, an employee in the Mayor’s Office of Special Projects and Community Events, appeared in a video tearing down a poster raising awareness about Israeli hostages and allegedly assaulting an eyewitness, New York Post reported.
On November 2, a video filmed Sutherland, a special event coordinator for the Mayor’s office, at the intersection of York Avenue and East 84th Street on the Upper East Side. She removed an Israeli hostage awareness poster and discarded it into a nearby trash bin.
StopAntisemitism, a nonprofit organization, later published the video that caught Sutherland in the act. During the incident, an eyewitness approached Sutherland asking, "Is there a reason you’re taking those down?" to which she responded aggressively.
Sutherland swiped at the eyewitness’s phone as they filmed, disrupting the video for a moment. The eyewitness pointed out that the posters symbolized hostages taken by Hamas during a terror attack on October 7, 2023, emphasizing, "Those were hostages. They were taken by terrorists."
After the video surfaced, an anonymous tipster informed city officials about the incident. In response, City Hall required all staff in Sutherland's department to undergo multicultural training. However, officials did not report any severe disciplinary action beyond the training.
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov and Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism, vehemently criticized both Sutherland’s actions and the city's lenient response. Vernikov stated, "It’s extremely hypocritical that someone who supports the murder of anyone still has a job, much less in a department that plays a vital role in our city’s diversity efforts — despite the fact that she cannot tolerate innocent Jews who were kidnapped by Hamas."
Decisive action must be taken to purge this disgusting pro-jihadist sentiment from the city government once and for all," added Vernikov.
Although Nallah Sutherland started her position in 2023 with an annual salary of $61,135, she holds a junior staffer role and does not regularly interact directly with Mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Adams' office made clear its stance, emphasizing that "hate has no place in our city." The statement went on to remind that every city employee should be held to this standard.
Yoav Davis, another vocal critic of the incident, highlighted the disturbing nature of Sutherland's retention of her job following her actions. Liora Rez also expressed a deep mistrust in the city's ability to handle such sensitive matters, marking a dark tone over the city's handling of potential hate crimes.
"It’s a sad state of affairs when the victim doesn’t have trust in the NYPD or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to properly investigate hate crimes," Rez commented, pointing towards a broader issue of trust and safety in the community.
In the aftermath of this incident, city officials, community leaders, and the general public continue to debate the appropriate level of disciplinary measures and the implications for community relations in New York. This case underscores the delicate balance of maintaining public trust while enforcing policies against hate and intolerance in a diverse metropolis. Sutherland's actions and the city's response have left many questioning the dedication to these standards.
