Brooklyn residents filled Adam Yauch (a.k.a. MCA) park on Sunday morning at an anti-hate rally organized after vandals tagged playground equipment with swastikas and pro-Trump graffiti on Friday. Members of the crowd carried signs with Beastie Boys-themed slogans like, ‘No sleep til no hate in Brooklyn,” and decorated the location of the painted-over graffiti with paper hearts, flowers, and chalk.
Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock addressed the crowd on a megaphone. “Spray painting swastikas in a children’s playground is a messed-up thing to do,” he said. “And for many of us, it has special meaning, because this park is named for Adam Yauch, who was my friend and bandmate for over 30 years. But he was also someone who taught non-violence in his music, in his life—to all of us, and to me.†Adam also said he rejects Donald Trumps vision of America. Ad-Rock encouraged those in attendance to give to organizations like Black Lives Matter and The United Way of Flint, Mich. and to volunteer if possible.
