Hate crime charge filed against woman who spat on Black Lives Matter supporter

Follow-up investigation included witness interviews, video review of incident at state Capitol

A white New Fairfield woman has now been charged with a hate crime and three other offenses after she spat on a Black woman during a Black Lives Matter protest at the state Capitol in January.

Yuliya Gilshteryn, 44, who was at the Capitol as lawmakers were sworn in to begin the 2021 legislative session on Jan. 6, was initially only charged with breach of peace.

But Hartford State’s Attorney Sharmese Walcott said Thursday Gilshteryn’s charges have been upgraded to include deprivation of rights (a hate crime statute), third-degree criminal attempt to commit assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a child charges.

The new charges were added after a follow-up investigation that included witness interviews and review of video of the incident where Gilshteryn spat on Keren Prescott of Manchester, founder of the activist group Power Up Manchester,

“An assault launched against a person on account of their race as they are exercising their First Amendment right and freedom cannot be tolerated,” Walcott said.

Prescott, who organized a protest days after the event calling for Gilshteryn to face a stiffer penalty, said Thursday she was glad the charges had been upgraded but frustrated with the process.

“I think the process they had to go through to obtain evidence and upgrade the charges was cumbersome and frustrating,” she said. “It was frustrating having to prove what she did. The video shouldn’t have to come out for them to [charge her]. I’m glad that Capitol Police cooperated and worked with us to do that, but I was telling them what happened, multiple witnesses told them what happened, and I still wasn’t believed.”

Gilshteryn denies “in any way” that the incident was a hate crime, her attorney, Ioannis Kaloids, said.

“It was a very unfortunate situation. My client regrets her actions deeply, but this was not motivated by race,” he said. “We hope to have a dialogue with Ms. Prescott through her attorney and with the state, and we’ll hopefully put everything in perspective and reach a resolution here.”

Prescott, who disagreed, said the encounter has pushed her to keep fighting against racism for future generations.

“It’s one thing to deal with microaggressions on a daily basis. It’s one to be Black and Brown and see things in video and become traumatized through that. It’s another thing when you are the survivor of a vicious attack like that,” Prescott said. “You become part of this not-so-secret society of Black and Brown people who throughout the history of time, in this country, who have been attacked. Because of this personal experience, there’s just something that’s brewing in me that I need to step my game up a notch.”

The confrontation between Gilshteyn and Prescott happened around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 6 as a large group of protesters was approaching the south side of the Capitol. Gilshteyn was there demonstrating with others who oppose legislation tightening vaccine requirements for public school children; Prescott was there with other Black Lives Matter supporters. Several groups were at the Capitol on the opening day of the legislative session.

Gilshteyn was originally released on a written promise to appear in court. Her next court date is set for May 19.