A Manhattan council member’s home and district office were targeted by anti-Drag Story Hour protesters who scribbled demeaning messages outside both locations Monday.
The protestors allegedly vandalized the office hall and trespassed at the apartment building of Council Member Erik Bottcher, who attended a Drag Story hour event for neurodiverse children at Chelsea library over the weekend, according to the lawmaker and police sources.
Bottcher, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community himself, had called the protesters “the faces of hatred” as they rallied against the event outside the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library Saturday.
They reportedly wrote “Bitcher” on the wall of the hallway outside the official’s West 30th Street office, photos posted by Bottcher show.
Later, the same group paid a visit to the local politician’s home, he said.
They scribbled the same vulgar misspelling of his last name as well as unsubstantiated insults and threats like “OK groomer”, “Erik Boccher [sic] is a pedo child groomer” and “We want Erik” in chalk on the sidewalk in front of his apartment building, according to photos the council member posted to Twitter.
“Tonight the Drag Story Hour protesters came to my apartment building and gained entry,” Bottcher said. “My super called the cops and two of them were arrested for trespassing.”
He added that he would not be shaken by their threats and actions.
“This is pure hate, unmasked. If they think this is going to intimidate us, they’re mistaken,” Bottcher tweeted. “Our resolve is strengthened.”
Police sources confirmed that two women were arrested at the address and charged with criminal trespassing. Erica Sanchez, 44, and Anna Morgan, 27, were each given desk appearance tickets.
The trip to Bottcher’s office was organized by the anti-vaccine group Guardians of Divinity, according to an Instagram video of their visit in which they claimed the “Bitcher” graffiti was done by someone before them. The same group protested the Drag Story Hour event Saturday and one earlier this month.
Bottcher said the group also referred to themselves as “gays against groomers.”
“We will not be cowed. We will not be silenced. We will continue to stand up against hate,” the councilmember added.
The anti-drag story hour rhetoric has been on the rise across the country as hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community have also increased.
