Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

The Occupy protest against President Obama outside the Apollo Theater (“In traditional Democratic stronghold Harlem, barrage of protesters greets Obama,” Jan. 20) reveals the moral bankruptcy (in addition to the impending financial bankruptcy) of this movement. The disgruntled group of largely white people coming into Harlem, singing songs and carrying signs depicting our President as Hitler, referring to him as a “Wall St. Stooge” and an “enemy of civil liberties” should, once and for all, be seen by all Columbia students and faculty as anarchistic wackos and possibly bigots. The pictures taken by the Spectator photographer show 11 white protesters and one African-American, which was likely an accurate representation of this group. A protester’s sign depicting President Obama with a Hitler mustache is highly offensive (though First Amendment-protected) and is evocative of anti-Semitic signs that were on display in Zucotti Park among the Occupy protests. Wake up, everybody!

Neil Rothfeld
Morningside Heights resident