New York

Cops Probe Reports of Rocks Thrown at Confederate Flag-Draped East Village Apartment

No one was hurt and no property was damaged, but the NYPD says an officer will be stationed outside the apartment as a precaution

What to Know

  • The NYPD says the Confederate flags have hung from the apartment windows for years and it's completely legal to display them
  • Last weekend's deadly violence at a White Nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has heightened tensions across the country
  • Communities across the U.S. are pulling statues and other displays honoring the Confederacy as the debate continues to heat up

Police are investigating reports that rocks were thrown at an East Village apartment where Confederate flags have hung from the windows for years. 

It's completely legal to display the flags, and the NYPD says there haven't been any official complaints about the Confederate symbols at the 19th-floor apartment on East Eighth Street. But the controversial icons are drawing renewed attention amid heightened tensions following last weekend's deadly violence at a White Nationalist rally in Virginia. 

One Facebook poster said she found it ironic that a Dominican bodega is at the base of the building where the Confederate flags are hung. She says she grew up in the neighborhood. 

"I had the privilege of going to school and growing up with Spanish, blacks, Muslims, white, Chinese and all other different kinds of nationalities," Thania Acosta posted. "Stay woke people these racist are not only down south, they're in our backyards. #notonmyblock." 

Video shot from outside the building Thursday showed at least two Israeli flags and one American flag also in the windows on the 19th floor, though it wasn't clear if it was part of the same apartment or how long they had been there.

"This is a very diverse neighborhood, so it is very surprising to see something like that," said neighbor Tijana Ibrahimovich. 

Nellie Colon said, "They have the right to do whatever they want but it's still sad." 

The NYPD says it could only confirm reports of the rock throwing, not that rocks were actually thrown, and said it would station an officer outside the building to ensure the safety of residents and passersby. 

No injuries or property damage have been reported. The NYPD says it wasn't unable to get in touch with the person who lives in the apartment, nor could it reach the building superintendent.

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