Police: Swastikas likely related to Diwali festival

STAMFORD — Police say the swastikas drawn in bright-colored chalk with hearts on the sidewalk outside the downtown library last month were likely related to a Hindu religious celebration.

Lt. Tom Scanlon said investigators conferred with a Hindu swami and a member of the FBI Hate Crime Unit and determined the drawings were part of the Hindu celebration of lights known as Diwali.

Scanlon said police initially investigated the incident outside the Ferguson Library as a hate crime because they were unaware of Diwali and since there was a Jewish lecture scheduled for that night at the library.

Police have released an image of a suspect who was captured on security video, but have not been able to identify him.

“We want the community to know that if at some point we do identify this person we will follow up on this investigation,” Scanlon said. “But at this point, we felt it was important to put this information out there, because we knew a lot of people were concerned and sensitive to this issue.”

Hate crimes have been on the decline in Stamford. There were six incidents last year, down from eight in 2016, according to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There were 10 Stamford hates crimes in 2015 and nine in 2014, according to the FBI stats.

Assistant Police Chief James Matheny, who has offered safety and security training to several Stamford temples, said without additional evidence about last month’s drawings, the incident will not be recorded as a hate crime.

Sgt. Paul Guzda, the lead investigator on the case, said the FBI expert examined photos of the swastikas and determined they were nonthreatening and likely related to Diwali.

“He meticulously went over the designs, and in his expert opinion, he felt the symbols more closely resembled those used by the Hindus during Diwali,” Guzda said.

Guzda said a Hindu swami also said the swastikas could have been related to Diwali.

“These were drawn in pastel chalk, not black spray paint,” Guzda said.

Stamford Rabbi Daniel Cohen, of Congregation Agudath Shalom, said he trusts the results of the police investigation.

“I leave those determinations to the experts,” Cohen said. “I trust the Stamford police department. They have always been committed to standing up to anti-Semitism. If, through their investigation, that is what they think, that’s fine. We need to continue building bridges.”

Diane Sloyer, CEO of the United Jewish Federation of Stamford, New Canaan and Darien, said she was not so sure. Sloyer said she researched the Diwali symbols and found subtle differences that she believes proves the ones found outside the library were anti-Semitic.