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| Nallah Sutherland, a special event coordinator for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Special Projects and Community Events, is under fire for ripping down an Israeli hostage poster in Manhattan on Nov. 2 — and then allegedly assaulting the person filming her doing it.instagram @stop_antisemitism UPDATE: Nallah Sutherland is suspended without pay indefinitely:Adams staffer who tore down Israel hostage poster has been indefinitely suspended without pay
NYC mayor Eric Adams staffer whose job is to 'promote diversity' RIPS Hamas hostage posters down and 'assaults eyewitness'Even Richie Torres is unhappy |
NYC staffer paid to promote diversity caught ripping down Israel hostage poster, allegedly assaulting person filming it
An Adams administration staffer whose mission includes fostering “unity” and bridging “cultural divides,” is under fire for ripping down an Israeli hostage poster — and then allegedly assaulting an outraged eyewitness, The Post has learned.
Nallah Sutherland, a special event coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Special Projects and Community Events, was spotted earlier this month tearing down the poster from an Upper East Side light pole, ripping it up and dumping it in a trash bin, according to video posted online by the social media platform Jews of NY and nonprofit StopAntisemetism.
“It’s an appalling act of antisemitism,” said the nonprofit’s founder Liora Rez, who demanded Adams immediately fire Sutherland.
But Sutherland, 25, only got a slap on the wrist by her bosses — who merely required her to take “multicultural training” and added a disciplinary note to her permanent work file, a City Hall source told The Post.
Footage of the Nov. 2 incident at the corner of York Ave and East 84th Street begins with Sutherland tearing off the poster and tossing it in the trash.
“Is there a reason you’re taking those down?” asks an eyewitness about the poster, part of a public art campaign to raise awareness of Israeli and American hostages taken captive by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on the Jewish state.
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| Sutherland, 25, only got a slap on the wrist by her bosses after they learned she ripped down the Israeli poster. She was merely required her to take “multicultural training” and had a disciplinary note added to her permanent work file, a City Hall source told The Post.instagram @stop_antisemitism |
“Those were hostages. They were taken by terrorists,” adds the eyewitness, according to the 20-second clip he recorded.
Sutherland then walks toward the man and swipes his phone with her right hand, briefly knocking it out of focus, the video shows.
“That’s assault actually. You know that, right?” the man responds to Sutherland, who smirks and walks away, the video shows.
Sutherland began working for Adams – a staunch Israel supporter – in 2023. She earns $61,135-a-year helping plan celebrations he hosts at Gracie Mansion and at other sites to honor the diverse city’s many ethnic groups, records show.
She’s part of a team whose job is to “bridge cultural divides … and support key city initiatives that help provide a source of strength, unity, and resilience to New Yorkers across all communities within the five boroughs and beyond,” according to her office’s website.
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| Liora Rez, founder of the nonprofit StopAntisemitism, called Sutherland’s actions “an appalling act of antisemitism” and demanded she be fired.Courtesy of Liora Rez |
In May, the office organized a Jewish heritage celebration hosted by Adams at Gracie Mansion. The guest speakers included Shoshan Haran, who along with her daughter and two grandchildren, were taken hostage by Hamas and released 50 days later.
“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,” said Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn) after being told about Sutherland’s action.
“Decisive action must be taken to purge this disgusting pro-jihadist sentiment from” city government “once and for all,” added Vernikov, who is Jewish.
The eyewitness, who is Jewish and didn’t report the incident to authorities, wants to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution considering antisemitism cases are soaring statewide.
“It’s a sad state of affairs when the victim doesn’t have trust in the NYPD or” soft-on-crime Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “to properly investigate” hate crimes,” said Rez. “There’s no trust in the authorities to keep the victim safe.”
City Hall first leaned about the incident weeks ago when a tipster recognized Sutherland after watching the video posted on StopAntisemitism’s social media accounts, said a source.
The same “multicultural training” Sutherland received will also now be mandatory for all Mayor’s Office of Special Projects and Community Events staff to prevent similar hateful behavior in the future, said the City Hall source.
Sutherland is a “junior staffer” who doesn’t directly communicate with Adams as part of her duties, added the source.
“Mayor Adams has been clear that hate has no place in our city, and the same – if not higher – standard should be held for our city’s more than 300,000 employees,” the Mayor’s Office said.
“That is why disciplinary action was taken immediately after learning about this incident a few weeks ago.”
Sutherland did not return messages.
Yoav Davis, an activist and founder of Jews of NY, was stunned that Sutherland is keeping her job.
“It is especially disturbing to learn that an individual employed by the mayor’s office — particularly in a position meant to celebrate the city’s diversity — is directly connected to this culture of hate,” he said.
Additional reporting by Khristina Narizhnaya.
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