A nearly 100 year old golf club nestled in the heart of Yardley Borough was the target of an apparent hate crime over the weekend.
ABC Action News first reported that anti-Semitic images – including swastikas and a racial slur – near the 10th green and 4th hole of the 18-hole private members Yardley Country Club. The club was founded in 1928 by Edward A. Rembe, a prominent local resident.
The following statement was issued to community and club members, according to John Shapcott, Yardley Country Club director of golf and club operations:
“Yardley Country Club is notifying members and the community of an incident of vandalism discovered at approximately 7 a.m. Saturday following activity that occurred between Friday night and Saturday morning. Two swastikas were scratched into the 10th green, and a racial slur was written in the greenside bunker on the 4th hole. The club immediately contacted police, who responded, filed a report and later reviewed security footage; the cameras did not capture relevant activity. The minor damage was repaired promptly and Abrams Hebrew Academy was notified.”
Abrams Hebrew Academy is located at 31 W. College Avenue in Lowe Makefield Township. Abrams is the only full time day school located in Yardley. It serves Grades K-8.
During the 1920s the German Nazi Party appropriated the swastika symbol, turning it into a hate emblem still used today by antisemitic groups, white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations. It is banned in many European countries – including Germany.
“Yardley Country Club unequivocally condemns hate speech, fascism, anti-Semitism, and all forms of hateful conduct,” the Yardley Country Club statement continued. “Such acts are reprehensible, have no place at the club or in our community and will not be tolerated. The club will continue to cooperate fully with local authorities as they investigate the incident and work to prevent similar acts.”
An effort to reach the Yardley Borough Police Department was unsuccessful.
Manuel Gamiz, Jr. communications director at the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, said in an email the DA’s office is working closely with local police and actively investigating the incident.
“This latest crime occurred just as we began our Safe from Hate Roundtable Series, and just weeks after we filed ethnic intimidation charges against a man who targeted a leader of a local historically Black church. We will continue to work with local law enforcement to utilize every tool available under the law to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes and ensure our community remains safe from hate,” Gamiz said.
Barbara Simmons, executive director of The Peace Center in Langhorne, said she recently heard about the incident – the second major event in two weeks in lower Bucks County.
“We hosted a dialogue with District Attorney Joe Khan, and representatives from different religions, cultural groups and human relations commissions throughout Lower Bucks County,” Simmons explained. “When democracy declines; hate rises.”
According to Simmons, following the 2016 presidential election and Donald Trump’s first term in office, hate crimes and bias incidents began to “rise significantly” in Bucks County. The Peace Center continues to respond and track them.
“It is unacceptable and there are many things we must do to address the crime and support the victims of hate. Hate is local,” Simmons added.
She said a Hate Crimes Task Force would be formed through the District Attorney’s Office and that increasing dialogue was meant to help people work together; as well as put efforts in place to prevent or interrupt future hate-crime incidents.
“Our vulnerable communities are feeling targeted and unsafe,” Simmons said.
