Alleged Attacker In Bridgeview Diner Stabbing Charged With Hate Crime

By on August 30, 2012  News
Aug 302012
 

A 34-year-old Brooklyn man was charged Tuesday with a hate crime for yelling racial slurs before using a fork to stab a black man who was seated at a table with two white women, as reported by Oren Yaniv for the Daily News.

Nicholas Melo allegedly attacked Akbar Salahuddin, age 49, as well as his two female acquaintances, in the Bridgeview Diner [9011 3rd Avenue] last November.

From Daily News:

He used the n-word against Salahuddin and called the women “n—– loving b—–s,” before going to the bathroom, the criminal complaint said. When he returned, Melo allegedly punched the man and stabbed him in the head and back.

Melo was charged with assault as a hate crime, along with several other counts. He was reportedly released on $50,000 bail.

His lawyer Mario Romano said the fight was “provoked by one of the women who tossed a bottle at him.”

News reports made no mention of whether Melo resides in Bay Ridge. Click here for a map of the incident

Gentile On Swastikas: Appropriate Action Will Be Taken

By on May 24, 2012  Featured story, News
May 242012
 

After residents on 74th Street between 3rd Avenue and Ridge Boulevard woke up Sunday morning to find swastikas scratched into the finishes of their cars, yesterday City Councilman Vincent Gentile sent a statement about the incident to Bay Ridge Odyssey.

In the press release, Gentile made reference to Bay Ridge’s diversity and asserted that – whether the vandalism was inspired by hate or merely an immature prank – he, along with law enforcement, would “take the appropriate action.”

“This senseless act of vandalism is disgusting and appalling. Bay Ridge has always been a melting pot where different people with different beliefs, different hopes and different dreams have all come together as one,” Gentile told Bay Ridge Odyssey. “Whether or not this was an act of hate or a random act of vicious stupidity, it has no place here or anywhere or will not be tolerated. I am working with the 68th Precinct, acting swiftly, diligently investigating, and will take the appropriate action.”